Blood Prince
by ShadeDancer
Summary: The Dursley's did what they always wanted to and got rid of Harry, but someone else found the boywholived and took him to raise as their own, Mafia King Manuel Darkov. Dumbledore won't be expecting this Harry.
1. Prologue

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Prologue_

It was the perfect battle ground; that was the foremost thought that entered the head of eleven year old Harry as he stared up at Hogwarts for the first time. Yes, Harry James Potter-Darkov, Mafia Prince, had finally come to Hogwarts. But this was not the Harry the wizarding world expected. For you see, ten years ago things did not work out exactly as Albus Dumbledore would have wished. For all his cleverly worded letter to the Dursley's they did not keep their nephew and raise him but instead left him in a dark alley in the middle of the slums of London, in their stupidity forgetting to destroy the letter that the child had once again claimed in its grasp.

**… … … … …**

Manuel Darkov was a rising name in the underworld and very few dared cross him except fools, desperate fools, and dead men. And it just so happened that the night after Halloween it was time for such a fool to pay up and this one was personal. Manuel felt content as his victim whimpered beneath his hands, life fading quickly from his scum encrusted body. With an almost reverent shove Manuel sent the corpse to the ground and turned away only to hear another whimper, but dead bodies did not whimper and the sounds were coming from the wrong direction.

Coldly the Mafia leader made his way to where the sounds originated only to find himself facing the greenest eyes he had ever seen. With a negligent hand Manuel brushed away a rat that had attempted to find a meal in soft flesh and picked the baby up, glancing briefly through the letter with the child. The reasons for his presence in the alley that night came crashing down on Darkov, the sight of his wife and child lying dead in the backseat of the limo. Raising hardened eyes to the sky Manuel Darkov clutched the child tighter and vowed to raise Harry James Potter as a Darkov and train him to accept his destiny in this cruel world. No one but himself and Harry would know the truth of Harry's birth family and the name that went with it.

* * *


	2. Deadly Fun

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 1:_ Deadly Fun

Seven year old Harry Darkov lashed out in a flurry of kicks and punches, trying to defend his young body from injury during the furious attack. He had just twisted out of the way of a flying kick when a fist came out of nowhere to land firmly in his side. Harry briefly went down and tried to catch his breath as he leapt back up to continue pressing his own attack against a man that was twice his height and weight.

"Enough," the voice came suddenly and the two opponents broke apart.

Reverently Harry bowed to the tall man he had been fighting, "Sensei," and received a bow and dismissal in return.

Quickly Harry made his way to the man who had called a halt to the sparring match and skidded to a stop and made another bow, "father," before leaping into the man's arms.

Manuel mouth turned up slightly as he found himself with an armful of the boy that was his son in all but blood.

"What are you doing here father," Harry asked, "I thought you had to work today."

Another smile found its way free from Manuel's stern countenance as he walked from the training room with Harry, "I seem to remember someone having a birthday today."

Harry basked in the warmth and security of his fathers arms. His father rarely showed emotion and Harry was glad when he could elicit a smile or laugh from him. He knew what his father did for a living and knew that he was a powerful man; there weren't many secrets they kept from each other. Harry even knew the truth surrounding his acceptance into the Darkov family but it didn't bother him a bit, Manuel was a father to him and nothing would ever change that.

Harry pretended to scowl, "you're going to drag me from training just for my birthday."

Manuel stopped just inside Harry's room, his face would have been a bland mask to everyone but his son, "I could take you back if you wish and forget about the amusement park."

Harry shot his father an impish look and hit him lightly on the arm, "you do and I won't let you sleep for a week."

Manuel groaned, he remembered the one time he had broken a promise to Harry without a good reason, he had found himself floating above the freezing cold pool the next morning and the moment he woke up he had fallen in.

"Oh yeah," Manuel growled before tossing Harry to the bed and tickling him senseless.

"Stop! Stop!" Harry shrieked with laughter as he brought a leg up to flip his father off of him before returning the favor and tickling the stern Manuel until he began laughing and cursing at the same time, it made an amusing combination.

Finally the two fell apart and lay side by side, panting as they tried to catch their breath.

Harry pried himself up from the bed, "that was fun, but I thought you mentioned something about an amusement park."

Manuel jumped up and ruffled Harry's silky, shoulder length black hair fondly, "brat," before he turned dead serious, "time to get ready."

Flashing green eyes met dark eyes gravely and Harry nodded before moving fluidly across the room to flip open a panel in the wall. Carefully the boy chose three child sized yet well honed daggers, two for up his sleeves and one for in his boot. The other boot housed a five shot snub handgun with a specially designed 9mm handgun at his hip under his shirt. Once armed Harry reached up and checked that his necklace was firmly in place and that the electronic tracer on it worked. With a nod to his father Harry was ready, normally it didn't take even that long for Harry to get ready but he didn't arm himself before training with his Sensei, only after as their lessons were to be purely hand to hand combat. Manuel was already armed.

For a moment Harry and Manuel paused at the top of the stairs, the very picture of danger. Both were tall, Harry taller than most his age, and tanned with slimly toned bodies trained for combat and their light weight but form-fitting black clothes allowed them to nearly blend with the shadows. Their silky tresses of midnight hair were pulled back in identical ponytails while a set of green eyes and a set of eyes so dark as to be nearly black scanned the surrounding area alertly; a taunt air of readiness surrounded them both. Looking at them no one would suspect that Harry had been adopted. Together the two males descended the staircase to the foyer where a guard awaited them to lead them into the bright light of day to the waiting cars.

With the ease of long practice Manuel slipped into the driver's seat of his specially enhanced black SRT-10 Viper as Harry was sliding into the passenger seat, minimizing the chances of either of them becoming targets while their men shielded them. With a deadly grin Manuel gunned the cars engine, listening as it purred to life while the guard took up position in their cars behind them.

"Ready," he asked Harry as the mansions security gates swung smoothly open.

Harry smirked, "they'll never keep up."

Slowly and with mischievous grins Manuel and Harry rolled the dark tinted windows down. With a loud shout Manuel gunned the engine and took off, tearing down the road at a speed the guards could not dream of matching.

"Damn it Manuel," the car radio crackled to life as the lead guard tried to contact them, "slow the fuck down, we can't protect you if you take off like that."

Manuel threw his head back and laughed openly, reveling in his freedom as they heard the guards cursing him to the nine pits of hell in the radio's background. Harry smirked and popped a disk into the cd-player and opened the connection on the radio so the guards could hear the lyrics of Linkin Park, Metallica, Trapt, Disturbed, and Nickelback.

"This one's for you Trevor," he shouted through the open connection.

That day Mafia leader Manuel Darkov was not present, that day he was simply Manuel Darkov, father to Harry. They easily beat their guards to the amusement park and slipped in the side entrance as they always did. The lines for the rides weren't a problem either; Manuel did own the park after all. Harry and Manuel spent the day riding roller coaster, soaking themselves on the water rides, eating, playing games, and dodging their guards at every turn. There were plenty of close calls with the guards too as they were cheating and using the security cameras to find them, but Manuel and Harry were slippery; right now this was a game, but it was also training for the real thing. Often time Manuel and Harry would be forced to jump a fence or skip off a ride early to avoid the persistent guards. Harry also used his gifts.

"Damn," Manuel swore, "I think this time they have us cornered."

Harry quickly surveyed the situation to see that his father was right.

"Hold still," Harry commanded as he let power surge through him and bent it to his will.

In the scant time it took for a man to blink Harry and Manuel were gone, or at least so it seemed. Harry knew he was a wizard and at a young age had shown it by making all sorts of strange things occur to him. It wasn't until he began the martial arts at the age of four that he thought of controlling the power just as he controlled his emotions. He knew no formal spells but with the force of his will he could do many things with his magic. One of the more recent being able to blend himself and others into their surroundings, though they had to be very still, and levitation. Harry gave a strained smirk as the guards passed right beneath his feet, no one but him and his father knew he was a wizard, they hadn't even told Trevor. Harry heard his father restrain a snicker as the guards that had boxed them in met together without having trapped them in the middle. The guards would never find them there.

After about five minutes Manuel used his free hand to tap Harry's shoulder, straining the spell to near breaking, the men had moved on. Slowly the two came down to the ground and Manuel felt Harry let go of his hand before they both flickered back into view.

"Harry?" Manuel asked knowing how the magic sometimes exhausted the boy but Harry waved him off with a wane smile.

"I'm alright for now, but let's get some food later."

Manuel nodded and they both made their way back to the main park for a few more rides before they would even contemplate turning themselves in.

As it turned out they should have turned themselves in. Manuel and Harry had just gotten off the fastest rollercoaster in the park and were on the look out for their guards but didn't see them. Daringly they walked out into the open and still weren't pounced upon. Deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth they quickly made their way to the nearest food stand and got in line, blending in easily with the crowd. It was when they were walking away from the food stand munching away on hot pizza and sipping ice cold cokes when both felt like they were being watched, and it wasn't their guards. In fact the guards were going frantic; they had spotted Harry and Manuel's stalker and were trying to make their way through the thick throng of people.

Neither Manuel nor Harry tensed; they had been through situations like this before even if during those times they had known exactly where their guards were. They made their way towards one of the less traveled paths of the park that led to the maintenance areas. Surreptitiously they drew their guns as they continued away from the crowds, it wasn't safe but they weren't about to open fire into a group of innocent people even if their stalkers dared to do so. The ping of a bullet being fired through a silencer sounded behind them and father and son dropped to the ground with a roll, coming up with their own guns blazing and taking out two of their targets leaving three left.

One more of their attackers went down to one of Manuel's bullets giving the other two a chance to get close and attack physically along with another group that had appeared behind the Mafia King and Prince. Manuel shot another at point blank range straight through the eye while Harry whipped out a pair of blades. When attackers got this close Harry took things personally. A swift kick in the groin and then a blow to the back of his head had one man down; leaving two more opponents to circle Harry who saw his father was dealing with the other two. In the distance the guards were approaching but they wouldn't be able to fire on the assailants without running the risk of hitting Manuel or Harry.

Harry took a blow to the side from one of his attacker's fist but it wasn't nearly as hard as the blow he had received from Sensei just that morning and he continued to follow through with his attack, slicing one man's throat open. As his momentum carried him around Harry aimed his second dagger at another man's stomach but the fool tried to dodge and Harry's plunge ended up a bit lower than he had intended. Harry winced, if the man survived this there was no way he was ever going to have children, the wide blade had gone in all the way to the hilt, it would be a miracle if…_it_…was even still attached. Manuel had finished off his last opponent right before Harry had and had turned to face Trevor and the rest of the guard who had surrounded the man Harry had merely knocked out. The unlucky bastard was starting to stir.

* * *


	3. Lessons of Choice

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 2:_ Lessons of Choice

They quickly left the park by the back way after that and it was a somber ride home. Neither Harry nor Manuel talked, no music played, and they didn't once attempt to lose their shadows. Once they arrived at the house the car was immediately surrounded and the two were hustled into the house and into Manuel's study where the windows were secured while over half the men combed the mansion and grounds for intruders.

"What the hell were you thinking," Trevor thundered in both worry and anger, "We've gotten used to you two pulling this training stunt as you call it, but when you had the first hint of danger why the hell did you head towards a secluded area. You both know better. They had you outnumbered eight to two and Harry is only seven. Seven years old and he took out three, disabling the fourth. Sheer luck is what that was. He could have died as could have you Manuel, but at least you've had more practice in such situations. Are you trying to get your son killed?"

Manuel and Harry let Trevor continue with his rant knowing it would be useless to stop their longtime friend and bodyguard. When Trevor finally ran out of breath and it was announced that the mansion and grounds were secure Manuel stood and faced his head of security.

"You're right Trevor, but I could not let them open fire in the middle of the crowd. I also do know my limitations and I know Harry's just as well. I know Harry is only seven but he has been training since he could walk steadily and understand instructions clearly. I trust my son to guard my back just as I trust you and the men. Though I do agree we were lucky today. But let's forget what happened for now and concern ourselves with the prisoner tomorrow. We have a birthday to finish."

With that life in the Darkov household picked up as normal, attacks always happened and they moved on afterwards, trying to live as normally as a Mafia family can.

By midnight the Darkov household was shutting down and the men were leaving to head to their homes or posts after having stayed for Harry's birthday dinner and presents. Harry himself was just drifting off to sleep and thinking about the gifts he had received. He had gotten the usual weapons, the most outstanding being a katana from his Sensei who had told him that they would start instruction with staffs in a week and progress to the sword from there. Unfortunately the katana was too big for him currently so he would be training with specially crafted swords that fit his size. He had gotten gag gifts, books, games, and anything else he could have wished for. But the best gift of all had been spending the day with Manuel and having his father seem so open and carefree. The only damper, besides the earlier attack, was the thought of having to get up for lessons the next morning. He didn't mind the defense lessons but did he really have to have tutors for school work during the summer, he was already smarter than his classmates and he had skipped from first to third grade.

Manuel meanwhile was sitting in his study and staring at the fire. He has had Harry for six years and in four he would have to let him go away to a magical school in Scotland. His son would be on his own in a foreign world where the game of life would be played differently than what Harry was used to. Who would guard his son there, he couldn't send a bodyguard with the boy, couldn't go himself. Roughly Manuel pushed the thoughts away and took a sip of his vodka; he went through this every year on Harry's birthday, July 31st. He had always known that he would have to send Harry to Hogwarts when he turned eleven and hadn't kept any secrets from his son. He would deal with letting his son go when the time came, he had four more years with his dark angel until then.

**… … … … …**

The door made no sound as it opened but Harry knew someone was in the room with him. It had been a week since the attack on his birthday but Harry was still slightly on edge. As he had been taught he carefully evened out his breathing so that it still seemed as if he were asleep and gripped the dagger under his pillow. Five feet…four…two…the person was almost on top of him. Smoothly Harry flipped himself over and shot forward, twisting the persons arm behind their back and settling the cool blade against their exposed throat with a growl.

"Eek," came a very feminine sound from his assailant's throat.

Harry would know that sound anywhere, "Blaise?"

"Good morning to you too," sarcasm laced seven-year-old Blaise's voice as Harry removed the knife from her throat.

"What are you doing here," Harry was just a little confused, no one had mentioned Blaise coming over.

Blaise shrugged, "quite obviously we have lessons together, though I doubt you plan on going, and I'm to keep you amused. Dad also says I need to study more since I'm skipping grades with you and Manuel seems to thinks you're lonely for some reason."

Harry laughed, "in other words you're supposed to watch me and keep me out of trouble. Haven't they learned that we get into more trouble together than apart?"

Blaise smiled cheekily at her longtime friend, "how are we getting out of lessons today and what do you have planned to get rid of that evil crone they call a teacher?"

Harry smirked, "get out of here and let me get dressed."

In the end skipping lessons was a breeze. They merely short-circuited a few of the cameras positioned around the house like one of the guards had taught them, rode the dumbwaiter down to the kitchen, and snuck out to the stables where they mounted Harry's midnight colored stallion Azrael. The only problem was that they had taken too much time, way too much time. The moment the cameras had blacked out Trevor had sent men out to comb the grounds, he had come to recognize the children's handiwork. Unfortunately for them it was Trevor himself who spotted them.

"Harry Darkov, Blaise Zabini," Trevor yelled, "back to the house."

"Looks like he spotted us," Harry commented and Blaise nodded her head in defeat before Harry continued, "but he hasn't caught us yet."

Furiously Harry spurred Azrael on and they were flying across the open field towards the woods while a pissed off Trevor was screaming futilely at them to turn around before storming back into the house to organize the chase.

It was after lunch when Blaise and Harry decided to head back and face punishment; both of them were very hungry. They had spent the whole morning moving from place to place within the forest to avoid being caught before finally settling deep in their secret cave to plan pranks for their newest teacher. The return trip was much faster since they didn't have to hide and at various points in the woods a guard on horseback would slip along side them, forming a protective barrier as they were herded back to the house. None of their 'captors' spoke a word as they were leaving the scolding up to Trevor and truthfully most of them found the children's antics amusing, even going so far as to encourage it.

Azrael was taken from Harry and Blaise the moment they arrived at the stable while the two miscreants were whisked straight away into the house and into Trevor's study, forced unceremoniously to sit in what they termed the interrogation chairs. Trevor paced behind the desk trying to reign in his anger before turning to Harry first.

There was a glint in his eyes and his voice was dangerously soft, "explain."

Both children gulped and Blaise tried to speak first, attempting to soothe Trevor a bit, "Father…"

A sharp slicing motion of Trevor's hand cut his daughter off.

Harry lifted his head, his father had always told him to take things like a man, "There is no explanation, we decided to skip morning lessons and so we did."

Trevor resumed his pacing, "punishments will be dealt. Why did you skip the lessons? That's the thirteenth time this summer."

This time Blaise was allowed to speak without being interrupted, "that teacher is an evil crone, we can't learn anything from her. The only thing she does is yell and tell us we aren't doing good enough."

Trevor sighed in exasperation, "you won't have to deal with Mrs. Towart anymore. She resigned this morning after you two disappeared."

Harry dared to groan, "all those good pranks planned for nothing."

For a brief instant amusement shown in Trevor's eyes before he grew serious, "since you can't be bothered to go to your classes then you obvious can't be bothered to meet with Sensei, you will instead work out of your books until dinner."

"You can't do that," both Harry and Blaise argued, "you can't cancel our lessons with Sensei."

"That is your punishment," Trevor firmly replied.

Suddenly Harry changed tack, "you're right, we shouldn't train with Sensei, we'd only be learning further skills to protect ourselves with. Besides as we are already late I don't care to face Sensei's wrath, last time…"

Harry trailed off with a shudder. Trevor willingly took the bait, he knew of Sensei's punishments and from Harry's reaction figured the boy wasn't all that fond of facing Sensei's discipline, what he didn't know was that Harry and Blaise would rather face Sensei than do homework no matter what Sensei put them through.

"You're right," Trevor said with a slight look of anticipation on his face, "you can't not train with Sensei and he's waiting for you. Off you go."

Harry and Blaise waited until they were out of sight before slapping each other high fives.

Sensei trained them hard that lesson, harder than usual, as a form of discipline punishment. Time after time Harry and Blaise found themselves forced to the mats, but they rolled with the punches and came back up fighting as they were expected to do. At the end of class Harry and Blaise were allowed to engage in a sparring match. Blaise briefly gained the upper hand when she managed to flip Harry to the ground, but the wily boy turned the flip into a leg sweep that threw Blaise to the mats. Quickly Harry came through with a cross-hand blow to the neck, checking it right before contact.

Blaise considered her options before sighing, "I yield."

Grinning Harry helped her up and they bowed to their Sensei.

"If you are ever late again," Sensei admonished them, "you will not like the consequences. And congratulations on losing yet another teacher."

Sensei prided himself on being the only teacher the kids hadn't tried to get rid of.

Summer passed quickly for Blaise and Harry as Trevor took over their schooling, sometimes they almost wished the crone was back, they had a better chance of escaping her. Sensei was working them hard as well as he guided them through the martial arts. Sensei was pushing them hard to learn the art of the staff so that he could gradually eased them towards preparations for training with blades. Manuel was being consumed by work and more attacks had been made on the Mafia King, leading towards him spending less time with his son as he tried to get to the bottom of the attacks. Harry was glad that Blaise was around, they were fast becoming inseparable and he didn't know what he would have done if she wasn't there to keep him company.

All too soon September first rolled around and Blaise and Harry prepared to skip from the third grade to the fifth. They had spent the last two weeks shopping for clothes; school supplies; and in Harry and Blaise's case, prank items. If they were going to skip grades they had to prove they could hold their own not only academically but among the other students and Harry planned to have fun while doing so. It was going to be one hell of an interesting school year, no Darkov or Zabini ever backed down from a challenge.

Trevor and Manuel escorted their children to school the first day, a wary guard sitting in an idling car a few feet back. Both men restlessly scanned the grounds without appearing to do so before turning their attention back to Blaise and Harry, the four of them looking every inch the part of danger in their form fitting black clothes.

"Be alert," Manuel told Harry as he quickly hugged the lean boy and checked to make sure he was armed, "do well and stay safe."

Manuel knew any comments on staying out of trouble would be wasted on his son and did not bother. Trevor stood after having given a similar, yet sterner, talk to Blaise.

"Do you both have your tracking charms? Are your radios tuned to signal four," Trevor asked all business.

At Harry and Blaise's nods Trevor went on, "you know not to reveal your weapons unless necessary and someone will be nearby at all times. Have a good day."

Trevor and Manuel drove off after a last warning of no fighting on school grounds, leaving Harry and Blaise to enter the school, the second car only moving after discharging the single passenger entrusted with the lives of the Mafia Prince and his companion.

* * *


	4. For Friendship

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 3:_ For Friendship

Calmly Harry and Blaise entered their fifth year classroom, scouting for seats that would allow them easy access to any possible exits without making them targets.

"I believe you have the wrong room," a friendly fifth year addressed them, "are you lost?"

Harry studied the smiling girl for a moment, "not if this is Miss Walker's class."

The girl looked at them oddly then, "aren't you a little young for the fifth year?"

Harry snickered as Blaise got in the last word before the teacher entered and told them to take their seats, "aren't you being too nosey?"

Miss Walker quickly took roll and finally came to the last two names, names that had been added to her roll call only the day before, the names of two students she was most looking forward to finding out more about.

"Harry Darkov."

"Present ma'am," Harry called out in his strong, silky voice.

A few looks his way showed at least vague recognition of his last name.

"Blaise Zabini."

"Present ma'am," Blaise said confidently.

It was time to earn their place among the fifth years.

The morning classes went by without incident, leaving Harry and Blaise utterly bored. They spent the morning doing their work and conversing using various forms of sign and body language, planning escapes and hatching plots while pretending to be paying attention to their lessons as well as answer the random questions directed their way. Lunch time came around and Blaise and Harry ate their packed lunches amidst the dubious smells of cafeteria food and noisy chatter.

"We should have never let my father tutor us," Blaise groaned, "unless that class picks up quickly we're going to be redoing all our summer work again."

Harry snorted, "either that or we'll be skipped to sixth year."

With that they ended their conversation and headed outside with the rest of their year for break, sending silent acknowledgement to their guard to let him know that they knew where he was. He had been revealing himself to them every now and then just so that they knew they were still being watched over and he hadn't been taken down or any such thing.

Blaise grinned at Harry as she saw most of their year mates in a huddle, occasionally looking at them, "let the inquisition begin."

They had barely settled themselves on top of the monkey-bars, they'd probably get yelled at later for making themselves easy targets, when their classmates gathered below them with a few even daring to climb up next to them.

"You don't look old enough to be a fifth year," one of the bigger males commented, demanding an answer.

Harry shrugged nonchalantly, "we skipped some years."

More questions were fired at Harry and Blaise but they either shrugged them off, especially when it touched on their family or could have led to something pertaining on the Mafia, or gave unsatisfactory answers. Finally their classmates wandered off, giving up on the inquisition, but not before Harry heard a lewd comment directed towards Blaise involving a skirt. Before anything else could be said Harry had leapt smoothly to the ground and was facing the boy.

"What did you say," Harry's voice was a velvet black whip of danger as Blaise joined him.

"Nothing," the boy, Chris Chauvez, sneered before walking away.

Harry narrowed his eyes but let Chris go, remembering Manuel and Trevor's warning from that morning. But Harry wasn't about to let it drop, his young mind was quickly planning how to get Chris Chauvez without breaking the rules set down for him by his father.

The day finally ended with gym class where the fifth years were going to be engaging in a gymnastic-oriented unit, leading Harry and Blaise's quick minds to start figuring out how gymnastics could be incorporated in their training with Sensei. They were flexible enough to pull off most of the gymnastic moves and if they could add flips to the basic tumbles Sensei already had them using it would give them an advantage against opponents who didn't know gymnastics. Besides that it was much more fun than anything else they had done that day, the only problem was that they wouldn't be learning the flips the teacher had demonstrated for them quite yet.

Harry and Blaise saw that Manuel and Trevor were waiting for them when school ended, but they had something to take care of first. Coincidentally Harry and Blaise had timed their exit from the school gates to coincide perfectly with Chris' and without warning Harry pulled back his fist and punched the boy straight in the nose, drawing forth a fountain of blood.

"If I ever hear of you saying anything inappropriate about Blaise ever again you will regret it," Harry hissed into the injured boy's ear.

"Harry James Manuel Potter-Darkov!" Manuel's deceptively cool voice lashed out from directly behind him and Harry turned to face his glowering father, "what were you told this morning!"

Harry shrugged nonchalantly even though he froze slightly inside and walked past his father to get into the car, "we weren't on school grounds anymore."

The ride home was taken in silence. Manuel didn't know whether to be proud of his son or to scold him. Trevor was keeping his peace as Harry had been standing up for his daughter while Blaise was resisting the urge to hug Harry even as she wished she could have gotten a piece of Chris. Harry was merely silent. He wasn't proud of hitting someone who never had a chance against him, but he just hadn't been able to let the earlier comments go unpunished. Chris had gotten what he deserved and in the end that was all that mattered to Harry, it didn't even matter if he was punished, he would take any punishment he was given because he had earned it standing up for his friend.

Yet for his brave thoughts it was with some trepidation that Harry entered his father's study when they got home. Manuel's face was an impassive mask and Harry was starting to squirm inside. Manuel's study was usually a place where the two could relax and sometimes even discuss business together, well Manuel discussed and Harry learned, but right now it was taking on a foreboding air making Harry want to turn and run the other way. As Trevor did whenever Harry was in trouble Manuel wasted no words, allowing the single question of "why?" to slip forth before he fell into silence, waiting for any explanation that might come.

Harry briefly bowed his head before bringing it up sharply so that his burning green eyes met his father's dark ones.

"I will not allow anyone to speak rude of Blaise and I did not break any of the rules you set down for me. I did not reveal my weapons and I did not attack him on school grounds. Chris deserved what he got."

A shadow passed across Manuel's face as he watched his son stand proudly before him, ready to accept the consequences of his actions. It brought back nearly painful memories of himself in similar situations with his father standing where he was now. Manuel knelt before his son, bringing himself on level with the overly mature boy.

"You could have handled things differently today Harry, but I am proud that you would defend Blaise in such a way, especially since you found a way to do so without breaking the rules set down for you. It seems that you are almost too smart for your own good though I cannot fault you for acting as any Darkov would."

Manuel left the room, leaving a gaping Harry standing there. Obviously the boy had expected to get in trouble over what had happened. But what Harry had said was true; he hadn't been on school grounds and had only been warned against fighting on school grounds. Manuel passed a waiting Trevor but did not receive the frown he was expecting. Instead his friend and bodyguard nodded to him and walked into the office Manuel had just vacated.

As he continued down the hall he heard Trevor say, "thank you for standing up for my daughter today. I am proud to have you as her friend."

Manuel smiled, Darkov's and Zabini's would always stand by each other in this cruel world.

Harry had barely made it into class the next morning when Miss Walker handed him a folded over note that politely requested his presence in the Headmistress' office. For a brief moment Harry pondered what would happen if he didn't show up, the note had seemed more of a request to him and one that could be refused more than a summons that must be obeyed. In the end his insatiable curiosity and love for causing trouble made him avoid the summons, much to Blaise's amusement. Unfortunately the Headmistress didn't see the amusement and sent another note for Harry; this one could be called nothing less than an order. Smirking Harry passed the note to Blaise and walked out of class for his appointment with the Headmistress.

Before Harry knew it Blaise was at his side. Harry looked at her and arched a dark eyebrow in question.

Blaise smirked, "you're not going anywhere without me. I told Miss Walker that the note asked me to come as well, she bought it."

Gliding through the silent halls they soon reached the Headmistress' office and Harry raised a hand to knock once, firmly.

"Come in," a sternly feminine voice called out and Harry entered while Blaise took up sentinel outside the door that closed sharply behind him.

Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes not only at the atmosphere of the office that was designed to frighten errant students into submission, but at Blaise for acting as if she was her father.

Harry turned his unnatural blazing green eyes on the Headmistress who sat behind her desk primly but with an air of authority, Harry could tell that she was not used to being disobeyed.

"Sit Mr. Darkov," her sharp voice only compounded Harry's impression of her and brought to the forefront of his demeanor the pride ingrained in every Darkov.

One of the first lessons Harry remembered being taught was to not lower yourself below another's power but to put yourself equal to them, or above them if possible. The Headmistress would gain a feeling of superiority over him if he accepted her inviting order to sit; she had the imposing oak desk to give her power. By remaining standing he would bring them on more equal footing and hopefully fluster her enough to give himself an edge.

Bringing his chin up to tilt his head at a regal angle Harry declined, "I am fine standing ma'am."

A tick beat in the Headmistress' forehead telling Harry that his intentions had hit home. She was used to students jumping when she snapped her beefy fingers, but Harry was not a lap dog to do tricks. Briefly flicking his assessing gaze around before returning it firmly to stare down the Headmistress Harry noticed his guard hovering discreetly outside the first story windows. The guard gave him a slight grin and winked, encouraging the proud and mischievous heir to the Darkov name.

The Headmistress decided to try and take control of the situation and stood, leaning forward over her desk trying to intimidate Harry to no avail.

"You do realize that you are facing suspension for fighting on school grounds," the Headmistress smiled slightly maliciously, thinking that she had finally managed to exert her superiority.

Harry smirked back, "if you expel me for fighting on school grounds then I can bring a file of complaint against you with the school board for the fight, as you call it, was in a place where you hold no jurisdiction. I was not on school grounds when the incident occurred, but Chris was on school grounds when he made sexually harassing comments about my friend, something which does warrant a suspension and possibly expulsion if her parents wish to press the matter. I do hope you will take proper steps and correct this misunderstanding and discipline the proper parties."

* * *


	5. Mistakes of Parenthood

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 4:_ Mistakes of Parenthood

The Headmistress stood there gaping like an extremely fat fish that had eaten a disgustingly juicy worm attached to a hook that had been reeled in to leave the fish gasping in futilely for air. Harry decided that this would make the perfect time to exit and perhaps the woman would learn to never go up against a Darkov in the future, though with the way the stupidity rate of the general population kept rising it was a slim hope.

"Good day Headmistress Chauvez," he smirked and left, "do let me know how your nephew's nose is, with some much blood pouring from his face I couldn't tell if it was broken or not, though it sounded as if it was."

Blaise was waiting outside when Harry opened the door and was able to catch the parting remark Harry made to the Headmistress and catch the stunned face. With a snicker Blaise fell in beside Harry demanding details as they leisurely made their way back to their class.

By lunch the entire fifth year seemed to know what had gone on inside of the Headmistress' office and many were congratulating Harry on so far avoiding expulsion while Chris' cronies were sneering at Harry in a hateful manner. By the end of the day it seemed that the whole school knew and Blaise was ready to pull some twits hair out. If she heard one more idiotic female tell Harry how brave he must have been to go up against the evil Headmistress she was going to pull out her guns, no, forget the guns, she was going to start rearranging some of those pretty faces with her bare hands. Finally Harry and Blaise managed to make it to the car where their guard was waiting to take them home.

"You sure took that bi—uh—fish down a peg today Mr. Darkov," the guard greeted him with semi-formality as most of them were prone to do, "She's a worse hag now then she was when I had her for a teacher. Here, got a present for you."

The guard reached over onto the front seat next to him and flipped a small tape back at Harry and Blaise.

Blaise stared at the tape with an evil grin, "is that…?"

The guard nodded, "bugged her office with video and sound equipment the first day of school."

Blaise and Harry grinned at each other before slapping the guard companionably on the back, "wicked."

The drive home was spent with Blaise and Harry playing and replaying the office meeting on a specially designed viewing screen in the backseat of the car, with powerful connections came luxuries unknown to most.

At the Darkov mansion, or home as it was fondly referred to by both Harry and Blaise, they raced through the entrance hall, dropping their school bags as they went, heading for the stables and their horses. Only to be intercepted. They were almost free when Trevor stepped from the shadows, blocking the back door.

"Your headmistress called," Trevor informed Harry, "requesting a conference with you and Manuel on Monday. He is waiting for you in his study."

Harry groaned; there went his day and most likely his weekend. He had been hoping for a few free hours with no pressure on him but that of being a kid. Now though he would have to deal with his father who would be upset over the pending conference even if he wasn't expelled, and then he would be sent to Sensei to train his discipline. And it wasn't training in fighting he would be given, but annoying meditation techniques and exercises in keeping his emotions under wraps. Last time he had been forced to stand and hold a heavy book straight out at shoulder level while Sensei said things to anger him while occasionally lashing out with a stick. If he showed emotion or gave into retaliation the lesson started again. A Darkov must always be composed in public unless it was a rare occasion such as their annual father-son outing to the amusement park or some other such informal recreation.

Harry sighed, his father wasn't a hard man, not all the time. If you could get past the hard Darkov exterior you would find a warm and loving man, but Manuel made sure that people rarely saw that side of him, even his son barely saw that side of him except on occasion. It was tough being the heir to the Mafia throne and the expectations that went with it. Sometimes Harry didn't know what he would do without Blaise and Trevor. Blaise was his best friend and Trevor was like an uncle to him. Sure Trevor was just as hard as Manuel at times, but he at least gave comfort when it was needed without holding himself in reserve though to give his father credit he was getting better at the parenting thing.

In a nearly visible sulk Harry entered his father's study and flopped into a chair. Right now he didn't care if he was putting himself in a position where he was giving his father superiority over him, stuff like that shouldn't matter when something was just between him and his father. Besides, the second part of the superiority lesson was how to gain the upper hand when you had put yourself and remained in a submissive position, not that he thought it would work against his father as Manuel had been his main teacher in such lessons.

"Harry," Manuel sighed, "your headmistress called complaining of your rude attitude and disrespect. Can't you stay out of trouble just for once? You need to be around other kids and getting expelled isn't going to make that happen."

Harry shoved his hands inside of his pockets, didn't his father think he knew that; he knew that he needed to be around kids his own age, sort of a balance to his training. He knew that as well as he knew he had to watch his back every time he set foot off of Darkov grounds, knew that no matter how many guards surrounded him he was always vulnerable in some way. And he hadn't been disrespectful, but he also was not going to betray his upbringing in order to let others walk over him so they could feel their own superiority. Manuel was berating him for doing exactly what he had been raised to do and believe in, it was bloody hypocritical of him.

Harry's fist clenched inside his pocket, he could never seem to do things right sometimes, something hard cut into his hand. The tape.

"Here," Harry snapped practically slamming the tape down on the desk, it hurt that his dad hadn't even asked his side of the story before berating him, "here is an intelligence recording of today's conflict retrieved from the state-of-the-art espionage equipment from your very own lab."

Manuel saw the hurt in his son's eyes as the boy left, but resisted going after him. With a heavy feeling that he had royally screwed everything up Manuel reviewed the tape taken from the spy devices one of the guards had planted in the Headmistress' office. Dejectedly Manuel placed his head in his hands; he was right, he had really messed up with Harry a few moments ago. The boy he had seen on the tape was more mature than any kid had the right to be, Harry had handled everything like a true Darkov and Manuel had doubted him on the words of a woman he didn't truly know just because she was supposed to be an unbiased authority figure. He wondered if this is how his father had felt when put into similar situations by his older brother and himself.

Harry was upset, angry, and near tears as he stormed out of his fathers office. He didn't know where he was going, but it didn't matter he just wanted to get away. His fingers twisted helplessly in the chain of the pendant around his neck, the Darkov crest. Angrily he ripped at it until the chain snapped and crest fell to the floor with a clatter to be left behind as his feet unconsciously carried him forward. Somewhere down the hall he heard Blaise call after him but his feet only sped up and he burst outside into the evening air, at that moment he wanted nothing more than to get away from everyone and let his emotions run rampant. The sound of his sneakers hitting the ground was answered by the comforting whickers of the horses. None of the stable hands were around as Harry quickly fitted Azrael with a bit and reins before scrambling on the stallions back. Blaise came bursting into the stables as Harry spurred Azrael out into the open fields.

"Harry," Blaise cried, "Hhhaarrryyyy…"

But Harry was free, the wind blowing across his face and cutting through his thin shirt as the tears finally came pouring free without anyone to see his weakness.

Blaise burst back into the house at a full run yelling frantically, "Dad! Manuel! Daaadddd!"

Trevor heard his daughter's frantic cries and ran to her, praying everything was alright, that she wasn't hurt. In his study Manuel roused at hearing his name being shouted and tensed, none of the alarms had gone off so the problem was internal. Horror filled Manuel, he could hear Blaise still yelling but there was no sound from Harry. Where was Harry? Harry and Blaise were almost never apart lately.

Manuel nearly flew through the halls following the cries, men following in his wake, ready for action. Suddenly Manuel dropped to the floor next to Trevor who was trying to calm Blaise.

"Where's Harry?" Manuel's voce was filled with terror, "where is he?"

It was all Manuel could do not to shake the answers he needed out of the upset girl.

"Gone," the word chilled Manuel, "he was upset. He took off on Azrael as if he were being chased."

Manuel's eyes closed in anguish, his son had run off because of him. He stood quickly, he had to make things right and fast before something happened to his precious angel.

"Dress warmly," he instructed the men, "bring lights and get to the stables. Trevor, try and get a lock on the tracer."

Moments later Trevor was radioing in to give the foreboding news of Harry's abandoned tracer and Manuel ordered the search to be picked up a notch. They had managed to pinpoint a section of the forest where Harry was from following Azrael's hoof-prints, but it was too large an area and night had fallen bringing a chill to the air.

"Harry!" Manuel shouted for what seemed to be the millionth time, his voice going hoarse as he played his light through the thick trees.

They had been searching for hours and hope was beginning to fail. Another hour passed and Manuel picked up his radio, intending to send half the search party back to be replaced with fresh men, he would keep looking but it was getting too cold for those who had been out there the whole time to safely keep going for much longer without rest.

"Dear gods," Manuel prayed in a rare gesture at religion, "let Harry be safe, let him be well."

The radio crackled as if answering his prayer and a shout came from somewhere to his left, "we found him."

The position was rattled off and Manuel spurred his horse through the forest following the guiding shouts, ignoring the rest of the message and heedless of the branches that whipped at his face.

* * *


	6. Dealing with Fear and Pranks

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 5:_ Dealing with Fear and Pranks

Not but two minutes later Manuel happened upon the sight of a few of his men standing near the prone body of his son while another tried to revive the freezing boy, Azrael lying protectively at the boys side as if knowing Harry needed all the warmth he could get. Manuel fell to his knees at Harry's side as the stallion rose and moved slightly away. A slight knot was beginning to show on the forehead of his sons' pale face and he was shivering wildly. Quickly Manuel shrugged out of his jacket and pushed aside the now cold-jackets the men had piled upon Harry to cradled his son in its warmth. An obscured branch overhead attested that Harry had been knocked unconscious and had fallen off his horse, in the dark it would have been impossible for a person riding at a gallop to see. Manuel moved to Azrael, Harry securely held in his arms, his horse was too exhausted to make the wild ride home as fast as Manuel wanted to.

"Radio Trevor," he barked, "tell him the situation and to be ready for when I arrive. We must warm Harry up and quickly, there's no telling how long he's been lying unconscious in the cold."

Manuel rode Azrael hard, but the stallion didn't seem to mind the frenzied pace that took them through the bitter English night and didn't try to slow. In fact the horse seemed to force itself to go faster as if he realized the gravity of the situation. Azrael took his riders right up to the back door where he plowed to a halt. Manuel was met by Trevor and a worried Blaise who was carrying fire-warmed blankets. Trevor tried to relieve an exhausted Manuel of his burden, but the Mafia King was having none of it as he practically flew through the house to his son's room, Trevor and Blaise following, leaving a heavily breathing Azrael to make his own way back to the warmth of the stables.

Manuel moved through Harry's bedroom and to the adjoining bath where warm water already filled the tub. Quickly stripping Harry of his chilled and mud-caked clothes Manuel placed Harry in the tub, cradling his injured head above the water. They washed Harry down quickly, allowing the water to warm his cold and stiff limbs before pulling him out of the tub to quickly dry him with heated towels. Leaving the wet towels on the floor Manuel and Trevor guided the unconscious boy's limbs into black silk pajamas and wrapped him snugly in the blankets before tucking him quickly into his large four poster bed, Blaise hovering worriedly in the background when it became apparent she was only getting in the way. Throughout all the minstrations and jostling Harry remained still, his thready pulse and shallow breathing the only indication he was still alive.

Finally Manuel allowed his exhaustion to claim him.

"I'm staying here," Manuel informed Trevor wearily as he lay down next to his son and pulled the boy close.

Manuel barely took the time to kick his riding boots off to the floor and pull a blanket up around himself as he settled in to watch Harry sleep, he hadn't realized how chilled he himself had become on the ride back so great had his worry for Harry been.

Trevor nodded and pulled Blaise out of the room behind him, they would also be staying the night in the rooms Manuel kept available for them, not that they went to their home that often anymore as it was. Trevor took his daughter to her room down the hall and tucked her into her bed before seeing that the rest of the men had come back safely and that none had suffered too badly while out. Finally it seemed as if everything was alright and Trevor collapsed onto the bed in his room next to his daughters.

**… … … … …**

It was dark when Harry began to stir and he surprisingly felt no cold. In fact he felt warm and the ground no longer felt so hard. His aching eyes cracked open and he found himself staring at the dim outline of his room, a tiny crack of light peeking through the heavy drapes pulled across the windows. How had he gotten home? The last thing he remembered was a sharp lancing pain to his head and then the bitter cold of the hard ground piercing through him. Azrael had lain down next to him then and he had struggled to talk to the horse but every word was sluggish and impossibly slow and not even Azrael could keep him warm any longer. There was a heavy weight across his body as well, had something fallen on him? It was then that Harry realized that the weight on his chest was a pair of arms encircling him protectively. His head turned and he came face to face with his father's rugged countenance, relaxed in sleep though a worried frown was present. Harry sighed and snuggled deeper into the comforting warmth of his father's arms, if this was a dream he didn't want to wake up.

Unfortunately reality has a way of making its presence known and Harry woke up a few hours later to the feeling of his father's hand gently brushing a strand of hair off his forehead and against the familiar lightening bolt scar usually kept concealed by makeup when they were around anyone. Harry sighed and briefly closed his bright green eyes before gazing again at his father; he wasn't used to such a tender acting Manuel.

"You scared the shit out of me last night," Manuel whispered softly, emotion choking his voice as he pulled his son close, "don't ever do that to me again. I don't think I could stand it. When we finally found you, you were lying so still, so cold…"

Manuel trailed off as the fear of the night before gripped him again.

Shame filled Harry, he hadn't been thinking when he took off, hadn't realized how much it would hurt people.

"I'm sorry," his voice was soft and guilt laden.

Manuel moved back slightly to gaze upon Harry's face. The boy had his eyes closed tightly as if he were trying to ward off tears and his face was set into lines of sadness.

Slowly Manuel lifted Harry's face up towards his and wiped at his son's eyes with a gentle thumb, seeing the shine of tears beneath Harry's closed eyes almost broke him, "don't be sorry. I was the one who wasn't listening. I'm used to hard facts and authority; things were so much easier when you were the little angel in my arms. I'll try harder to understand, but you'll have to work with me too, you're way too mature for your age sometimes and I find it hard to remember you are only a kid."

Harry was pulled into the safe haven of his father's arms with his head buried against the strong chest. That was how Trevor and Blaise found them when they came to check up on the pair and see if Manuel or Harry wanted breakfast.

Harry was forced to stay in bed for the rest of the day to make sure there were no ill side effects from the night's escapades though he did manage to escape a trip to the doctors by acting exhausted. The inactivity grated on the restless Harry but he was content enough to stay there if it meant his father spent time with him. Some of their time was spent reading in companionable silence or engaged in heated discussions of weapons and defense techniques. The rest of the time Harry and Manuel spent playing board games and card games with Blaise and even Trevor who joined them to lounge on Harry's insanely huge bed.

Sunday Harry was finally let out of bed to his relief and he spent the day making up for a Saturday spent doing almost nothing. He spent the morning training with Sensei even though he was forced to go easy. The biggest surprise was when his father joined him, but he hid his reaction except for a happy smile that wouldn't be suppressed. After lunch Harry dragged his father out to the stables to check on Azrael and beg to be allowed out for a ride. Manuel finally gave in but restricted the ride to the field; he was not ready to let Harry go out into the woods again just yet. It wasn't till after dinner that they sat down with Blaise and Trevor to discuss how to deal with the Headmistress the next day, you did not mess with a Darkov or their protected and expect to get away unscathed.

**… … … … …**

Headmistress Chauvez was not prepared to enter her office Monday morning to find Harry Darkov and a dangerous looking man lounging comfortably in her office. Smoothly Harry and the man the Headmistress supposed to be his father rose to their feet, muscles taunt and ready. Their standing as she entered was not out of respect as many might think, but in veiled threat, part of a power play.

"You _requested _a conference," Manuel purred softly, stressing the word requested in a taunt letting the Headmistress Chauvez know that he had picked up on her own threat during their phone conversation.

The Headmistress took her place behind her desk and turned to business, oblivious to the danger she was getting herself into, "Yes. Your son was disrespectful upon our last meeting and we still have to deal with the infraction that occurred last Thursday."

Manuel nodded as if agreeing to what had been said and Harry was forced to hide a smirk.

"Yes, it was disrespectful of my son to not invite the injured party to the meeting you had and the infraction must be dealt with."

Manuel turned to the door and opened it, "Blaise, Trevor, I believe you have a formal complaint to make against Chris Chauvez for harassment in the form of sexual innuendos."

Fifteen minutes and with a few careful mentions of members of the school board later the paperwork concerning the brief suspension of Chris Chauvez was filled out.

The four turned to take their leave of the Headmistress when she foolishly spoke up, "but what about your son's infraction?"

Manuel turned swiftly back, eyes blazing, "Harry did nothing that you can fault him for; he was not on school grounds at the time and therefore it is a family matter, not something the school should handle. Do not think to drag my son down to avenge your nephew's injured pride."

Before the Headmistress could react the door to her office was closing with soft finality leaving her blinking around at her empty office.

**… … … … …**

The next couple of months before the winter holidays found Harry and Blaise fitting in with their classmates and making friends easily, the age difference no longer seemed to matter as it had in the beginning. The prestigious school was also being swept by a prank wave that the teachers could not solve, no clues were ever left behind that could be linked to a student, and though Headmistress Chauvez had her suspects she was unable to do anything for fear of meeting those deadly blazing eyes again. She shuddered as she remembered the meeting with Manuel Darkov when she tried to pin the first prank on his son and son's friend, never again did she want to look into those cold pits of fury. Blaise and Harry would only grin and look innocent when they heard the professors or students discussing the pranks. Some of their better pranks involved sneaking into the school in the early morning, with some aide from their guards, before the doors were unlocked to wreak havoc.

One time they removed the seats from all the toilets and piled them in the Headmistress' office, slipping out the window right before she came in. Another time they rigged all the chairs of the most hated teachers so that the seats fell off when sat on and sprayed a slippery wax substance at certain spots in the hallway. It was interesting to see the students slide through the corridors, shrieking happily before going back to do it again while the teachers fell, sending stacks of books and papers flying everywhere.

They also did the usual pranks of stink bombs; snitching the lesson plans; letting loose the classroom pets and those kept in the science rooms as well as leaving reptiles in various desks in random classrooms, one girl screamed so loud it echoed through the whole school. The fifth years also had fun with substitute professors when Harry and Blaise organized a random seat switching routine. They gave fake names and even convinced one girl to fake having some sort of attack or fit and mumble portents of death before sitting back up and acting as if nothing had happened. A few of the female substitutes left nearly in tears from the many pranks and never came back. Only a few teachers were safe from the ingenious pranks concocted in the minds of Harry and Blaise, such as Miss Walker, and only because they were liked by them and many of the students and it didn't seem right to cause them any trouble.

The day before the holidays Harry and Blaise pulled a huge prank with the help of a handful of the bodyguards Manuel employed, not that Manuel knew about the prank, to run ropes from the ceiling pipes in every classroom and string the chairs from them while leaving the desks overturned, some with the legs unscrewed. Needless to say classes could not be held until the janitors fixed and righted the desks and found a safe way to get the chairs down without springing some of the minor booby traps the guards had set up to keep them from simply cutting the chairs down. Harry and Blaise didn't envy whoever had to get the chairs down, just cutting the string would work but then the chairs would crash everywhere, it had to be done just right for anyone to avoid injury. The students spent the day being shuttled between the library, gym, meeting hall, playground, and cafeteria as the teachers tried to find someway to keep the mingled classes busy and not all trapped in one place until the end of the day. It was pure havoc. Harry and Blaise waited until they were in the car at the end of the day before high-fiving each other and sharing a conspiratorial grin with their guards, Manuel would never find out about this one.

* * *


	7. Holiday Snow War

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 6:_Holiday Snow War

Holidays were among the greatest times at the Darkov Mansion. They were still always on alert for any attacks or criminal attempts but it was hidden under a layer of festive joy. The vast grounds had turned into a sparkling, crystal playland and fires burned brightly in the main rooms of the mansion. The best part was that Blaise, Trevor, and some of the guards moved into the mansions, filling up the numerous empty rooms so that they didn't have to spend the Holidays alone in their solitary homes. Many of the guards weren't married; preferring to dedicate to their job without putting others they cared for at risk and had long ago severed contact with their family, or in Trevor's case had lost their spouse. No, for most of them their family was the Mafia headed by the Darkov clan. Every guard was tried and true having served Manuel for years, they were family, and in this world they only needed each other and knew their backs would be safe from all attack.

"Gotcha," Blaise crowed as she nailed Harry with a firmly packed snowball.

"This means war," the raven haired boy yelled and turned away from the snowman he had been trying to build.

"Take that," he cried and lobbed two firmly packed snow spheres at Blaise.

They hit the girl dead on and she fell backwards into the soft powder.

"Oww," Blaise cried out as if the snowballs had hurt her and Harry's grin faltered as he went to her side, hoping that he hadn't accidentally packed ice inside the snow.

"Are you okay," concern showed in his radiant eyes and he held a helping hand down to Blaise.

"Sucker," Blaise smirked and quickly pulled Harry down beside her with a laugh.

For a while they just lay there allowing the cold to soak through their clothes before Blaise started slowly moving her arms and legs in a smooth, concerted motion. Harry climbed to his feet and once satisfied Blaise did as well. Together they looked at the snow angel. It was perfect except for the single handprint where Blaise had climbed out. Together they moved away to finish Harry's snowman.

They had just put the finishing touches on the snowman when they heard the crunch of boots on the crisp snow. Looking up the two mischief makers spotted two of the guards put on outside duty for the morning. One of them, Matthew, had been with the guard for as long as Harry could remember and was like an older brother or extra uncle to him. The other man, Bill, was newer to the guard as he had joined almost straight out of school and had only been with them for about a year, but Harry and Blaise trusted him fully; it had helped his case immensely when he conspired with them to devise and set up a few of the pranks they had pulled before the holidays. With a sly smile Harry and Blaise expertly packed a few snowballs and launched them in quick succession at the two guards who had just been heading off duty and inside to warm up.

"Score," Blaise yelled as the projectiles hit their oblivious targets dead on.

The two guards whirled around and crouched down low in the snow out of instinct, guns out and eyes restlessly scanning the ground before resting on the two grinning brats standing next to the snowman.

For a moment the guards just crouched there as if disbelieving that they had just been hit by snowballs from two immature adolescences before swiftly packing their own snowballs and returning fire. Quickly Harry and Blaise ducked behind the snowman, but not before they had been pelted by the snowballs. Crouching down they began forming more snowballs and lobbed them at the exposed guards only to get hit right back. Both teams realized how exposed they were to their opposing team and with a brief truce snow bunkers were quickly erected as a few more guards joined in on the fun after hearing the shouts and coming to investigate. One bunker was a half circle set up against the side of the house while the other was more out in the open but protected in the middle by a leering snowman as carefree laughter rang through the air.

Manuel and Trevor sat in Manuel's office going over papers and the usual business while the snow war waged outside.

"…owes you a lot of money. You saved his drill company from going down the drain ten years ago…"

Manuel was jerked out of his musings of trying to figure out why the names of both the man and drill company sounded familiar beyond the obvious business transaction when shrieks of laughter punctuated by "score" and "gotcha" rang through the air. Manuel smoothly rose to his feet and walked to the windows, twitching the drapes aside slightly as Trevor continued going over the papers. A ghost of a smile crossed Manuel's hardened face as he watched snowballs fly back and forth in the yard below him. He was painfully reminded of himself when he was younger; playing in the very same yard with his older brother and father, reminded of the snow wars they had gotten into with their guards. His brother and father had died in the same assassination attempt that had taken the lives of his wife and child. If the car Manuel had taken from work to meet his family at the restaurant hadn't developed a flat tire on the way he would have been there with them, would have died with them, wouldn't be standing there watching his adopted son play in the snow. Harry himself would most likely have been dead as well.

A hand fell heavily on Manuel's shoulder and he tensed before relaxing under Trevor's comforting hand.

"What's wrong Manuel," Trevor asked, knowing his friends mind had not been on their work for a while.

Manuel sighed, "ghosts my friend, nothing more."

Trevor glanced between the gaps in the curtains and saw the snow war going on beneath them; he too remembered the snow wars he had engaged in with the Darkov family though at first he had been embarassed to act so childish since he had been an adult at the time. When they had met in college he and Manuel had become fast companions, much like Harry and Blaise now were, though not nearly as troublesome or mischievous. Manuel's father had quickly cured him of his embarassment at letting loose in such a manner, explaining that at times being crazy was a necessary thing for those living The Life.

"Forget the work," Manuel suddenly declared before walking out of the office and down the hall, straight out the back door and into the crystalline snow.

As soon as Manuel was hit by the cold outside air he took off at a run for his son's snow fort, dodging snowballs from behind him and getting pelted more than once. With a dramatic cry Manuel launched himself over one edge of the snow fort and came to a rolling stop in the snow, Trevor beside him. Harry and Blaise just stared at their insane father's as they crouched low behind the hard packed walls, trying to shake the powdery snow from their clothes and hair.

"Reinforcements have arrived," Trevor quipped before turning to battle mode, "we need to shore up these walls, make them higher, and we need to call in backup. We cannot lose this war!"

Harry turned to his father with a grin when the suddenly lighthearted Mafia King pulled his portable radio from his pocket. Tuning into the frequency the off duty guards were using he spoke, "Snow war, I repeat, snow war on the North side. Back up requested and bring two coats, it's bloody cold out here."

The afternoon passed in a flurry of hard packed snow being hurtled across the open expanse of pristine snow that had turned into a battle ground. Throughout the whole time the guards were coming and going as shifts were changed, leaving both teams open to sneak attacks as no sides were set. Even a few of the house staff joined in. One moment a team would be pelting their 'enemy' and before they knew it someone in their own fort was pelting them. Manuel and Trevor seemed to be getting hit an awful lot from behind and though no one admitted to it the two men suspected their children. Little did they know that it was mostly the guards attacking them, taking the chance to score a playful hit against the bosses without them knowing it.

Finally when it was getting too dark to see and all their wet clothes were freezing stiffly on them everyone headed inside to be greeted by the head cook and one of the maids bearing trays of steaming hot cocoa, the perfect drink after a hard play in the snow. Quickly shedding their jackets, boots, and gloves the group either hung their wet things in the back mudroom to dry or left them in a sodden heap. Grabbing their mugs eagerly Harry and Blaise drank the steaming concoction, burning their tongues in the process, it was a perfect blend of chocolate and the cook had even added a tiny splash of rum for the added medicinal warmth.

A hot shower, dinner, and a few more mugs of cocoa taken before a roaring fire brought an end to the day and the Darkov household retired to their beds to sleep; the only ones still awake those currently on duty. To top off the great day they had just spent no disturbances occurred during the night and no strange dreams plagued any of the inhabitants of the manor.

The next few days leading up to Christmas did not include anymore snow wars, but Sensei had gotten an idea from the battle and decided to take training outdoors which was something he usually only did in the summer. They warmed up with basic martial arts practice while learning to adapt their movements to the hampering snow, often ending up lying face down in it until they did before Sensei instructed them to match him in a fight. It wasn't until they started getting hit by snowballs from a few of the guards that Sensei had positioned behind the snow forts that their fighting instructor explained that they were to fight him while avoiding getting hit by the frozen projectiles. He was trying to train them to not only be aware of the person they were fighting, but to be alert to other attacks that could come from anywhere at anytime. Harry and Blaise were more than a little grumpy by the time that lesson ended.

Christmas morning dawned cold and early, Harry waking up just before dawn and tiptoeing into Blaise's room. Merging with the shadows of the room as Manuel and Trevor had taught him Harry crept to the foot of Blaise's bed and pounced onto the fluffy mattress. Blaise startled as she felt the mattress move under her, felt someone in the bed with her, and woke up choking back the scream rising in her throat.

"Merry Christmas Blaise," Harry grinned angelically at his friend, receiving a pillow in his face for the trouble.

"Damn you Harry Darkov," Blaise hissed, "you scared the shit out of me."

Harry tried to look repentant but only managed to look even more mischievous.

"What would Trevor say to hear such language," Harry mocked, "come on; let's get Trevor and my father up."


	8. First Blood

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 7:_ First Blood

Blaise went to wake up her father while Harry cautiously entered Manuel's room. Here he had to be careful, his father slept with a gun and knife under his pillow and though Manuel probably already knew it was him it paid to be cautious so as not to become a target.

"Dad," Harry called out softly from near the bed but not near enough to be within knife range knowing that Manuel would go for the knife at such a close distance instead of a gun. To get that far into the bedroom of Manuel Darkov made things personal.

"Harry," Manuel's voice was alert and Harry moved to the bed and climbed in beside his father, snuggling down into the warmth and ignoring his dad's wince as his cold feet brushed against him.

"Merry Christmas dad," Harry said, giving his father a hug.

Manuel returned the hug and anticipating what was coming next told Harry, "Merry Christmas Harry, but it's way too early to get out of bed."

Harry pouted for a moment in a typical seven-year-old manner before wiggling free from his father's arms and heading out of the room. Blaise was waiting impatiently in the hall for Harry and shook her head negatively in response to Harry's questioning look. Neither of their father's was willing to get out of bed and indulge them in their need of presents. It was tradition for the four of them to wait until all together before opening anything. Harry sighed, a hidden twinkle in his vibrant green eyes as he plotted.

"Well, we can at least go open our stockings," he said and allowed Blaise to precede him downstairs.

Pausing for a moment at the end of the hall Harry concentrated hard as sweat began beading lightly on his forehead, he was rewarded moments later by two muffled yelps; this particular feint of magic had taken a lot out of him but would it would be well worth it in the long run. For a brief moment Harry swayed there near the top of the steps wondering why some of the magic he played with was harder to work with and needed to be controlled in different ways than some of the stuff he could just wish to happen. Doing some things with magic, like what he had just did, was more tiring than others to his young body and unlike the day at the amusement park he didn't have an adrenaline rush to augment his powers. Smirking Harry regained his equilibrium and skipped lightly down the steps to join Blaise at the Christmas tree positioned near a crackling fire in the informal living room.

Upstairs Manuel was shaking cold water off his head and grimacing at Harry's unfair and devious tactics before heading towards his shower, giving up on the idea of sleeping in. Further down the hall Trevor was grinning even as his teeth chattered, Blaise must have really wanted him up for her accidental magic to have forced such a thing to happen. Still grinning Trevor pulled a length of wood from its hiding place in the bed frame and cast a simple drying charm before heading to his shower; his daughter would definitely be getting her letter in a few years. Wouldn't she be surprised then, but he would also have a lot of explaining to do. It wouldn't matter though, it would be worth it.

Christmas day passed as it always did excepting the fact that Manuel glared at Harry for a good fifteen minutes after he came down, peeved at the wakeup call and planning retaliation for later. They spent the day exchanging and fooling around with presents as each shift of the guard changed. The ones that were at the mansion today were those that didn't keep contact with their family or were spending a different day with them, mainly all of them. Harry was glad most of them stayed to spend Christmas at Darkov Manor since except for three or four of the guards they had been around since Harry was a baby; some often delighted in teased him with embarrassing stories on changing his nappies. Then of course there was the ton of food to feast on.

Throughout the day you only had to walk into the dining room and grab whatever you wanted to eat off of the trays or steam table. It was at dinner that everything changed. Before dinner a thorough sweep was done of both the grounds and the mansion, the exterior security systems were set on high alert, and the house was locked down so that they could celebrate Christmas dinner together and no one was forced to miss out because they were on shift. Every year they all sat down to enjoy Christmas dinner and crack rowdy jokes, ignoring the fact that they were saying things most seven year olds shouldn't hear. To Harry, Manuel, Blaise, Trevor, Sensei, and all the rest this was how Christmas dinner was meant to be spent; with their mafia family all together, sitting around the grand table in a locked down house.

The rest of the holidays passed uneventfully except for a brief problem when security was breached. It had been in the early hours of the morning when the alarms signaling one of the first story rooms being broken into went off. Instantly the whole of the Darkov household was on alert and guards could be heard moving through the halls towards the lower levels, checking for intruders as they went. Harry himself was on his feet in no time, slipping his feet into his shoes as he pulled his knife from under his pillow and picked up the gun from the bedside table. Silently Harry slipped into the hallway at the same time as his father and Trevor, Blaise joining up with them only moments later.

"Stay here," Manuel ordered firmly to the two children, "I don't want to see either of you set foot downstairs."

Before either Harry or Blaise could respond Manuel and Trevor were gone, leaving them alone in the hallway as all but one guard left at the stairs had headed to the lower level. Harry reached out to tap Blaise's arm and motioned her into the relative safety of his room, the hallway was too open. Settling her comfortably in his bed he motioned for her to stay lying on the bed and he drew the thick hangings to screen her should anyone enter the room, she would have been safer on the floor under the bed but less comfortable and her escape would be hampered if they needed to flee. That done he took up position in the shadows across from the door and waited.

He didn't have to wait long before his door creaked softly open; it wasn't his father, he would have knocked first as a precaution as would most of the guards. Harry hadn't heard any noise from downstairs and now suspected that the intruder had somehow slipped by the guards, either that or there was more than one and the guards were tied up dealing with them. Harry stayed his hand until the shadowy figure was fully into the room; double checking to make sure it wasn't a guard. Eyes locked onto Harry's position and the young boy no longer hesitated but sent his knife flying, brining up his gun at the same time. The intruder was one step ahead of him.

The moment the knife had left Harry's hand the intruder had dove forward under Harry's guard and knocked the gun away. A furious struggle ensued as Harry desperately tried to land blows on his opponent. But it seemed as if the intruder merely absorbed the blows and knew exactly what moves Harry was going to make as he threw his greater weight around to disadvantage the young Darkov. All too soon Harry found himself pinned to the floor and though he continued to struggle he couldn't throw the shadowy form off of himself.

What happened next was completely unexpected. During the struggle Blaise had slipped unnoticed from the bed and retrieved Harry's dagger. Moving behind the intruder she had raised the knife and plunged it down, squeezing her eyes shut as she did so, at the exact moment the intruder reared away from Harry who had just kneed him forcefully in the groin. As the intruder reared away from Harry his body turned sideways towards Blaise exposing him to the frantically thrust dagger. The sharp edge of the blade pierced the intruders body as the flesh of his neck parted easily beneath the force of Blaise's frenzied stab.

Blaise opened her eyes, unable to resist, in time to see dark eyes glaze over in death as the body slumped sideways off of Harry; the front half of the assassin's neck was completely severed. Harry rose to his feet, ignoring the blood that had poured over his body and was spreading darkly across his carpet. Taking Blaise's bloody hands in his own relatively clean ones Harry led his friend to his bathroom.

"Come on Blaise," he coaxed her gently, "let's get you cleaned up."

Manuel and Trevor had only made it to the second floor before they were ambushed. Expertly dispatching one assassin Manuel left Trevor to torture information out of the second one as he headed towards the first floor. Manuel reached the top of the stairs and almost started down them when he was disturbed by a faint odor in the air. Looking sharply at the air Manuel noticed a faint haze floating along the first floor and immediately covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve, shaking his head slightly as if to clear it.

"Knockout gas," Manuel cursed moving back to the second floor where the gas had yet to infiltrate and turned to Trevor who had just slit the assassin's throat having no more need for the bastard alive.

"Sampson betrayed us," Trevor hissed, the desire for vengeance in his voice.

Manuel's blood ran cold. Sampson had been on the guard for at least two years and while a bit strange they had trusted him, the intelligence he had gathered had always been top of the line and had never steered them wrong. It seemed as if the man's ambitions had risen to meet a higher price.

"The kids," Manuel ground out and sprinted back to the third floor, taking the steps two at a time.

Not bothering to knock Manuel flung the door to his son's room open and flipped the lights on, his gun sweeping the room as Trevor did the same beside him. Harry and Blaise weren't there but a slightly mangled and rapidly cooling corpse lay in its own blood in the middle of the room. Both fathers felt their hearts skip a beat and nearly stop before they caught the low sound of a voice accompanied by running water coming from the bathroom.

The sight they walked in on was one they did not expect. Blaise was sitting stonily on the sink counter; blood was splashed all over her though it obviously wasn't hers and Harry was gently washing blood off her hands and whispering soft words of comfort to the distraught and shocked girl. For a second Harry looked up and caught his father and Trevor's eyes before turning back to Blaise.

"If it wasn't for you he would have had me Blaise. Thank you. You did a very brave thing; you protected me and the others in the house. That man doesn't matter anymore, what matters is that we're safe. You saved us."

Harry's words released a flood gate in Blaise and she started to sob and shake. Coming forth Trevor wrapped his arms around his daughter while Harry dried her now clean hands on a dark towel.

Picking his little girl up and cradling her in the safety of his arms Trevor took Blaise to his room and tucked her into his bed, coercing her to take a sleeping pill; the talk they needed to have was one better saved till morning.

Harry also slept with his father that night after he had showered the crusting blood of his attacker off of himself and the back-up guards had arrived to take care of the situation. Most of the on-duty guards had been caught by the knockout gas and were suffering from extreme wooziness and headaches. Though he had appeared to be strong it had been more of a front for Blaise, inwardly Harry had been shaking and now delayed reaction was setting in. He could almost still feel the man's hot blood drenching through his clothes, onto his skin, and Harry couldn't hold back a shudder at every imagined whiff of the tang of blood he knew still clung to him even after a vigorous scrubbing under nearly scalding water. Manuel held Harry in his arms as his shaken son finally fell asleep and he couldn't help but think back to Harry's first kill.

_Flashback_

_It was only a little over a month before Harry's seventh birthday and they were taking the limo out to dinner. They hadn't realized that their guards had been cut off from reaching them until right before the limo was attacked. A sense of fearful déjà vu had gripped Manuel and he had come out fighting after telling Harry to crawl under the car and hide, he wasn't about to lose another child. So intent on one of his opponents and the taunts being thrown at him about his dead wife and child Manuel hadn't realized that he was being snuck up upon until a gun shot shattered the air. Quickly dispatching the suddenly distracted man in front of him Manuel had turned to see his little Harry standing over a still form, the gun he had picked up shaking in his hands though he didn't know how the boy had managed to keep hold of the gun after the recoil. Manuel knelt before is son, blocking his view of the body and gently removed the gun from Harry's hands before pulling his son into a tight hug. They were safe then and the guards were coming to surround them in a protective barrier but still Harry had shook…_

_End Flashback_

Manuel sighed and pulled his son closer, thankful his dark prince was still alive. He had managed to help Harry through his first kill and together they would help Trevor get Blaise through hers. It wouldn't be easy but they would do it, they wouldn't allow Blaise to lose herself to guilt and fears.

* * *


	9. Letters and Truths

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 8:_ Letters and Truths

After the attack during the Christmas Holidays Manuel and Trevor were hesitant to let Harry and Blaise go back to school seeing as it was a less secure location and even the nearly impenetrable haven of the Darkov mansion had been breached. Then there was the fact that Sampson was still out there somewhere most likely biding his time until another attack could be made. But in the end Manuel and Trevor gave in and sent the children back to school only to pull Harry and Blaise from classes a week later after the guard-turned-assassin managed to get all the way into their classroom after taking out Matthew, one of the two guards who had been on duty that day.

Harry and Blaise had been sitting in their usual seats, half-heartedly paying attention to the boring lesson they were being treated to that day during lunch detention for goofing off in class when a bit of light glinting off a gun barrel through the glass of the classroom door caught Miss. Walker's attention. A scream ripped from the teacher's throat and acting on instinct Harry and Blaise threw themselves to the floor in time for the glass window of the door to shatter under the impact of a well-placed bullet that would have ended Harry's young life if not for Miss Walker's timely scream. Their teacher had hit the floor as well, crawling under her desk as if the flimsy piece of furniture could protect her from the hit man. Kicking the door open the assassin walked confidently into the room thinking that he had found the Darkov heir at his most vulnerable and had taken out the only guard on duty, their attacker had no way of knowing that Manuel had kicked up the security around Harry and Blaise although the man should have suspected it.

"Where are you little Darkov," the man called in a triumphant and disturbing purr, "why do you hide from death? Perhaps you wish the little Zabini brat to go first, hmm?"

Harry and Blaise looked at each other with wide eyes mouthing "Sampson" to each other silently, they hadn't been told of his part in the betrayal as Manuel and Trevor had tried to protect them by keeping the knowledge from them that one they trusted had betrayed them all.

Slowly reaching up so as not to cause her clothing to rustle Blaise turned the base of her tracking pendant to send for help while Harry slowly unsheathed a dagger from his back, he would have gone for his gun but it was in a hidden flap at the bottom his bag next to Blaise and he wasn't ready to expose himself by going for it. The footsteps stopped right next to Harry's table-like desk and the figure crouched down until he was on eye level with Harry.

"Hello Harry Darkov," Sampson purred.

Harry lashed out as he tried from keeping his fear from taking hold of him. The knife caught Sampson by surprise, leaving a wicked gash across his face and running through one eye. The severed eye began to ooze a clear, jelly-like substance mixed with blood that ran down between the fingers Sampson had clamped to the wound as he howled out in pain. It also seemed as if brown and black pigments were mixed in as well where his iris and pupil had been ruptured.

"You little fuckwit," Sampson hissed as both he and Harry rose to their feet quickly, Sampson now at a slight disadvantage.

Blaise had already risen to her feet when Sampson had crouched down to face Harry and had managed to grab their guns while the ex-guard had been preoccupied. Miss Walker watched with bated breath as the two friends flanked the man they had once trusted with their lives, Blaise tossing Harry his gun as he rose from the floor. Sampson decided to change tactics and trained his gun on Blaise, ignoring his pain as he held the gun steady with both hands.

"Put the gun down Darkov unless you want Zabini here to be hurt," Sampson growled.

But Blaise had brought her own gun up from where she had held it low to keep it hidden. Her hand shook slightly, the memory of her first kill still affecting her, but her gaze was steady and from the range she was at her shot wouldn't miss. It would also blow a big ass whole in Sampson that he most likely wouldn't survive. The three of them stood like that, at a stalemate, with their guns trained at each other. Sampson was blocking the way to the door and the windows were all closed and locked tight ensuring that Harry and Blaise wouldn't be able to make it out that way without letting their guard down and getting shot. None of them dared drop their weapons or make the first move.

Then suddenly Sampson's face froze and he wavered for a second, face clenched in agony for a moment before going slack. Sampson fell to his knees as if a puppet cut loose from its string, his gun dropping from his limp hands to clatter loudly on the floor. Bill stood behind the spot where Sampson had only a moment ago stood threatening Harry and Blaise, a bloodied fang-shaped knife in his hand.

"Are you alright," a white-faced Bill asked the two children standing in front of him, he had been cutting it close but it had taken him a bit to realize that Matthew had fallen.

Harry and Blaise looked at each other and then back at Bill before nodding, they were alright.

It didn't take long for a handful of guards to arrive and create a distraction to empty the school so the clean up crew could erase all evidence of the confrontation in the fifth year classroom. So while Manuel and Trevor talked to the Headmistress, telling her that they were pulling Harry and Blaise out of school for the year due to a family emergency, the guards were smuggling the body unseen out of the school via a fire escape before recovering the remains of their fallen companion. The moment the all clear came on the bodies Manuel was escorting Harry and Blaise out of the school and to the waiting car, leaving Bill to go back to his post and gather his equipment while Trevor dealt with Miss Walker.

"None of this ever happened," Trevor told the distraught teacher as he pulled out his wand, "Obliviate!"

With a satisfied smile Trevor left not knowing that mere moments later Bill was slipping in the classroom and muttering the same spell from the doorway, not noticing that Miss Walker already bore a slightly blank expression on her pretty face.

**… … … … …**

A simple funeral was held for Matthew a few days after the attack and everyone present had the satisfaction of knowing that their comrade had been avenged and anyone remotely connected with the attempts on the Darkov heirs life had been dealt with. Yet to be on the safe side Harry and Blaise were being home schooled by Trevor and the other guards, all having proved loyal to Manuel after the Sampson incident. Harry and Blaise spent the time they would have spent in school learning different things under the tutelage of the various guards. They learned math, English, science, history, art, languages, music, and survival skills. They also kept up with their physical training under Sensei's stern eye. The only difference was that because they weren't in a class with other students their instruction went by faster and they grasped concepts easier since their tutoring was practically individual lessons.

Harry was also getting more involved with the 'family business' as Manuel began to teach him tricks of the trade not involved with defense and fighting; it was a well known fact that Harry would one day preside over the Mafia Empire by his father's side. Harry learned how to hack computer systems and deal effectively with business associates that did not want to honor their agreements and pay up. He also began learning of the various codes used throughout their empire and working more closely with the guards. Manuel was going to make sure that Harry knew how to do the jobs himself before he could command others to, it was a point of pride. Of course as a child Harry did not have the ability to intimidate adults as in the adult mind children were no threat. Harry's job when he went on job related outings with his father was to remain in the shadows and learn, yet he also provided the extra protection of his gun and knives. It was surprising how often Harry could be overlooked as a threat. Manuel once overheard a reluctant ally saying how it was a bit unnerving to find those piercing green eyes boring steadily into you from the shadows, unwavering in their intent.

Even as Harry trained with his father Blaise trained under hers and both children grew physically and mentally over the next few years to a point where they were children in appearance only and even that was a close call. Yet for all their grown-up actions they were still children, children growing up with no other kids their age to play with. Their fathers and their guards were also their friends, they taught them and played with them when they had the time, but they couldn't always be around for the children when there were pressing matters to attend to and the bond between Harry and Blaise grew stronger. It was this that bothered both Manuel and Trevor as the summer both children would turn eleven approached, the time that they would get their letters and their whole world would change. As far as Manuel and Trevor knew the approaching summer would tear Harry and Blaise apart, neither knew of the great secret the other kept.

And indeed it happened. As one hot summer morning dawned in the beginning of July two owls were rapping their beaks on two separate windows at the Darkov Mansion. In one room Blaise woke slightly groggy and peered towards the window to see a brown barn owl perched on the sill and rapping its beak against the glass pane. Trained to be observant Blaise noticed the paper clutched in the sharp talons and wondered why the owl was there. The Darkov's didn't employ messenger birds and would not use owls for such a thing even if they did. Blaise did the only thing she could think of and quickly went to her father's room.

"Dad," Blaise called as she burst into the room, "there's an owl at my window holding a paper in its claws."

Trevor looked up at his daughter, his eyes leaving the laptop he was working from as he realized what she had just said. But Blaise wasn't entirely correct, the owl was no longer at her window but had followed her to now peck away at the window to Trevor's room, the intelligent creature having followed Blaise's magical signature. Trevor fearlessly opened the window and allowed the owl entrance before taking the letter and handing it to Blaise after requesting the owl to stay a moment so that it could get some water.

"You'll want to read that," Trevor told his puzzled daughter, "and then we'll have to have a talk, one we should have had years ago."

Quickly Blaise read over the letter before dropping it in shock as if it had burnt her.

"Is this for real," she demanded of her father who nodded.

"What am I going to tell Harry," Blaise groaned.

**… … … … …**

Meanwhile a green-eyed, raven-haired boy was woken in a similar fashion but he had been expecting something like this to happen all summer, had known of the impending letter since he was old enough to understand the words magic and wizard. Solemnly Harry let the owl in and relieved it of its burden, instinctively offering it some water from the bathroom while it rested. For a moment Harry examined the seal impressed on the letter before cracking it and reading through the letter:

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorv., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,  
Minerva McGonagall,  
_Deputy Headmistress_

Harry had been anticipating this for years and now he finally had the chance to go to Hogwarts, the school his biological parents had attended. The only problem was what he would have to leave behind, or rather who.

"Will you wait for my reply," Harry addressed the owl that had delivered the letter.

A small hoot that seemed to be affirmative greeted Harry and the owl settled down on the back of a chair, tucking its head beneath a wing while it waited. Harry headed down the hall to his father's room, glancing at his supply list and fingering a tiny golden key that had appeared even after he could have sworn the envelope was empty.

"Dad," Harry called as he entered the room, "the letter has come."

Manuel looked at his son with both pride and sadness, it would be painful to be separated from Harry for an entire school year, only seeing him during the holidays but he knew Harry had to go. Harry needed to be taught how to control his magic by professionals, even if he had seemed to be doing find on his own some proper instruction wouldn't hurt. Reading the letter through Manuel drew a piece of paper from his desk.

"You had better send your answer with the owl and in a few days we'll go to London to find the place mentioned in the letter that was left with you in the blankets," the Mafia leader sighed knowing that he had to let Harry go no matter how much he wanted to hide his child from the world.

It wasn't until the owl was winging away across the sky to be joined by another owl that something occurred to Harry.

"What am I going to tell Blaise," he groaned in sorrow.

**… … … … …**

In the end Manuel decided to make things easier on Harry and called Trevor and Blaise into the living room for a meeting. When all four of them were settled comfortably in their usual seats Manuel took a deep breath and prepared to speak of things most people would have a hard time believing in, things he had never spoken of to anyone but Harry.

"You both know that Harry was adopted," Manuel began, "but there is more to they story that I haven't told you and it is time for you to know."

Manuel paused to gather his thoughts and Harry, who had been examining the room about them in a slightly nervous gesture, noticed something held protectively in Blaise's hand. It was an envelope of stiff parchment with a cracked red seal. If Harry hadn't already been holding his letter he would have thought Blaise had picked his up. Hope filled Harry and he interrupted his father before any more could be said.

"Blaise," Harry blurted out, "are you a witch?"

Blaise raised shock filled eyes to Harry and saw him happily holding up his own letter.

"We're both going to Hogwarts," the excited friends shouted together, "we're going to Hogwarts."

* * *


	10. Through the Eyes

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 9:_ Through the Eyes

_Blaise's POV_

Blaise had been sitting silently by her father just as Harry was sitting by his. Something was up, she just knew it, and it worried her. Her heart had nearly stopped when Manuel had mentioned Harry being adopted. She had known about it, but why would Manuel bring up such a thing now. Fear filled Blaise and she clutched the parchment in her hands tighter, she and her father had decided to tell Manuel and Harry about the magical world and the fact that they were a witch and wizard. It had hurt her so much to know that she would be separated from Harry for a whole school year but she couldn't pass up the chance to learn magic, not after what her father had told her. Now she was even more afraid, had someone come to claim Harry, was some biological relative coming to take him away. Manuel couldn't let that happen, he wouldn't let that happen, he had connections he could use. She had been so worried about them being separated for the school year but what if she was going to lose Harry forever. Harry's voice snapped Blaise back to the present.

"Blaise," Harry blurted out, "are you a witch?"

Blaise raised her shock filled eyes to Harry and saw him happily holding up his own letter.

"We're both going to Hogwarts," the excited friends shouted together, "we're going to Hogwarts."

Even though Blaise and Harry were happy with the fact that they were both magical Trevor and Manuel were facing the consequences of keeping secrets from each other. Manuel had been hurt to find out that his longtime friend had lied about the years he had supposedly been sent abroad for schooling somewhere in France as a child to explain why they had grown up in the same area and never went to school together. How could a friend not tell another that they had really gone away to a secret school in Scotland to study magic? Surely when Trevor had discovered he was a Mafia Prince back when they had first met would have been the perfect time to say he was a wizard going to college in order to catch up with the outside world? Though it would explain why Trevor had been so bad with electronics...

Trevor on the other hand was upset to discover that Manuel had lied about finding Harry in an orphanage and that the boy he had helped raise and guard was really the Harry Potter, savior and light of the wizarding world. But now was not the time for them to worry about secrets kept, they had to prepare Harry and Blaise for Hogwarts and didn't want their slight discord to affect their children's relationships, as if that could happen. There would be time to rehash old wounds when the two were safely housed in Hogwarts.

Though Harry and Blaise wanted to pick up and leave straight away for Hogwarts know that they knew they would be there together there was much to do before the two eager youngsters would be ready to go to the magical school, one of which being a job Manuel and Harry had to deal with. You see there was a man who owed them a lot of money for saving his drill company a few years ago and he just didn't want to seem to pay up. That was why the doorbell rang at Number 4 Privet Drive in Little Whinging, Surrey in the middle of the night when all decent folks were fast asleep in their beds. Manuel and Harry had watched the house from a safe distance throughout the day and knew that only the husband and wife were home that evening, their whale of a son having gone to a rat-faced boy's house to stay. A portly man with a ridiculous mustache sleepily answered the door and Manuel forced his way inside with Harry following but keeping in the shadows, a knife resting comfortably in his hand in case he was needed to act.

"Vernon Dursley," Manuel's voice was smooth like dark silk, "you've had ten years to pay up and I still haven't received any money. Did you think I would forget?"

Harry watched as Dursley's face turned pale while he futilely tried to stutter his way out of the predicament he found himself in and Harry couldn't help but wonder how long it would be till the fat idiot wet himself out of fear. He had seen his father elicit such reactions before and while Harry found it disgusting it was also quite humorous in an embarrassing sort of way.

Dursley's blubbering cries caused his wife to come down the steps to stick her prying nose into whatever was going on. What she didn't expect to see was her husband being threatened at gun point by a darkly clothed stranger. A gasp escaped her lips as she tried to back up against the wall of the stairs and Harry looked up sharply, his green eyes glowing sharply in contrast to the dark. Their eyes met as if drawn to each other by some magical force. Harry watched as the bony woman's eyes went wider and a hand flew to cover her gaping mouth.

"No," Petunia started to sob and shake her head, never tearing her eyes from the powerful green ones gazing up at her, "not Lily's eyes, they can't be, not Lily's eyes."

It became a mantra for the stricken woman as she tried to press herself into the wall, to disappear, her nails ripping through wallpaper and plaster as she tried to escape the very sight that had haunted her dreams for years. Her frantic motions drew Manuel's attention though his gun never wavered from Vernon Dursley's fat bulk as Harry moved from the shadows to stand next to his father.

"Why do you speak my mother's name," Harry commanded the woman to answer as she continued to moan about Lily's eyes.

Realization dawned and Manuel understood why the name of the man in front of him had been so familiar.

"You," he hissed, vengeance in his eyes, "you were the ones that abandoned a helpless child to the darkness and cold, to the demons that wander the streets. You abandoned your own flesh and blood!"

Harry suddenly understood as well. So these were the people who had left him to die in an alley in the slums of London, the one's whose names were on the letter in his blanket. Harry kept his gaze on the woman who could not look away from the eyes so like his mothers; he pretty much knew what would happen next.

"No," Vernon Dursley was shouting pathetically, trying to plead from his life, "you don't know…we had…the choices…it wasn't like you think."

The smell of fecal matter and urine filled the perfectly manicured house but Vernon Dursley didn't have a chance to feel embarrassment, he was too busy trying to draw away from the knife Manuel had accepted from Harry's hand.

"A man like you shouldn't be blessed with children," Manuel hissed as he pressed the knife in tighter below Vernon's belt.

But Manuel didn't feel like playing with the disgusting excuse of human flesh in front of him and the smell emanating from the lumps pants was nauseating. Manuel pulled the trigger of the gun so fast Vernon didn't even have time to feel pain as the bullet entered swiftly into his brain accompanied by the roar of the gun discharging into the peaceful night that blanketed Privet Drive. He had forgotten to click on the silencer in his anger. Vernon's last sight in this world was of a blazing pair of green eyes gazing up at his still screaming wife.

Manuel and Harry left then, hiding out a street over as the authorities began to arrive after a neighbor had called in and reported the disturbance. They watched as the still, lumpy form of Vernon Dursley was carted away to the nearby morgue. Manuel and Harry continued to watch as Petunia was strapped in an ambulance, alternately moaning and screaming about Lily's eyes as she tried to claw her own out. Nothing of any use would be gotten from the woman and more than likely she would be declared insane by morning. Perversely satisfied, father and son walked down a few more streets before getting into their car and making the silent trip home after radioing the guards that they were finished there. The silence was only broken once the whole time by Manuel.

"Disgusting bastards, I've owed them that for nearly ten years now for doing what they did to you even though I thank God everyday that they did it," Manuel said softly before returning his attention to the road.

Harry merely felt nothing, they may have been related to him by blood but they weren't his family and he felt nothing for them, he didn't even worry about what would happen to that fat whale he now knew to be his cousin. It was none of his concern just as he was none of theirs.

**… … … … …**

Two days later Manuel and Trevor gave in to the pleading faces of their children and prepared to head for London and Diagon Alley.

"Here we are," Trevor announced pointing out a dingy looking pub.

Harry and Blaise nodded, they had noticed the Leaky Cauldron right away, had been drawn to it, but Manuel hadn't been able to see it until it had been pointed out to him. To say the least it slightly unnerved the Mafia King to know that a whole separate world existed around him and most of it he couldn't see. Confidently Trevor led the group through the pub even though he had not taken any part in the wizarding world since a wizard referred to only as you-know-who had murdered his wife. Trevor had been shocked to learn that Harry Darkov, the boy whose nappies he had helped changed, was really the hero and savior of the wizarding world, Harry Potter.

Once Trevor had gotten over the shock of being shown the famous scar kept hidden with the modern miracle of cosmetics and he and Manuel had silently agreed to keep their current differences aside until after Harry and Blaise left for Hogwarts they had gotten down to the business on how to keep both children protected in this new world they were about to enter. Harry and Blaise were going to be two of the most knowledgeable first years entering Hogwarts, but to achieve that goal they needed books, supplies, and most of all their wands. So that's why Trevor was now tapping his wand on a brick in a dead-end wall out behind the Leaky Cauldron, Harry nervously fingering the very visible scar on his forehead. He knew why they had left it unconcealed, but how was he to blend in like he wanted to with such a distinguishing mark for all the world to see.

Diagon Alley opened before the quartet and three of them attempted to take in everything at once while trying to appear as if they belonged, blank masks covering their thoughts. Suddenly Harry reached into his pocket to pull out a small golden key, some vague sight reminding him of it and the fact that it had mysteriously came with his letter.

"Trevor, this came with my letter," Harry made it a statement but Trevor understood the question.

"It's a vault key for Gringotts, the wizarding bank we're headed to," Trevor told him, "The Potter's wouldn't have left you with nothing you know."

Nodding to show he understood Harry continued on with the group until they came to a great white building guarded by crafty looking beings.

"Goblins," Trevor commented lightly and drew their attention to the warning posted on near the doors, "don't cross them if you can help it."

_Enter, stranger, but take heed  
__Of what awaits the sin of greed,  
__For those who take, but do not earn,  
__Must pay most dearly in their turn.  
__So if you seek beneath our floors  
__A treasure that was never yours,  
__Thief, you have been warned, beware  
__Of finding more than treasure there._

Harry grinned as he read the poem, growing up in the dubious world of the Mafia he could appreciate such things and found himself liking the goblins and their sinister appearance. Blaise shivered and decided that anyone who willingly went against the goblins was insane. Manuel merely smirked and recognized the goblins as a respectable form of a wizarding Mafia.

"Let's go down to your vault first Harry," Trevor pulled everyone from their thoughts, "then we can come back up so Blaise and I can change some pounds to Galleons and open a new vault. I sealed my old one when I left this world years ago and never thought I'd have reason to come back. I'll worry about reopening it on another day."

Manuel nodded and they headed to the first free goblin teller they saw to present Harry's key. A goblin was summoned over and led the way to a rickety looking mine cart. Manuel raised his eyes in askance at the cart and Crackrock, the goblin, grinned wickedly as Manuel climbed in beside Trevor. A giant of a man already shared the cart with them and didn't look as if he was ready for the ride they were about to take. The man didn't even seem to recognize the given introductions as everyone offered up their first name to be polite though he gave his name as Hagrid. The cart jolted and rumbled slowly along the track for a few feet before they plunged through the dark cavernous opening leading to the vaults and straight down, the cart tilting dangerously on two wheels as they whipped wildly around sharp turns. Everyone except for Crackrock was hanging on for dear life when they stopped but Harry looked as if he had enjoyed the ride; Crackrock looked quite pleased to see the green-hued faces on the rest of his passengers.

They stopped at Harry's vault first as it was closest and taking the key Crackrock opened the door to let a golden mist tinted with green roll out. Trevor and Blaise stayed in the cart with the man who called himself Hagrid while Manuel and Harry entered the vault. Looking everything over Harry was about to collect some of the unusual wizarding money when Manuel stopped him.

"Save it," his father told him, "if you find a trinket of your parents that you wish to have bring it along, but I will pay for your school things."

Harry nodded his acceptance and poked around for a few more minutes before he was satisfied. Yet it was just as Harry was about to leave the vault that a black and silver winged dragon pendant on a black and gold chain caught his eyes and Harry brought it with him, tucking it safely in his pocket to examine later when he had more time.


	11. Potions, Pets, and Wands

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 10:_ Potions, Pets, and Wands

The rickety cart continued on down deep into the cavernous bowels of Gringotts until it came to a screeching halt in front of vault 713. Climbing nimbly out of the cart Crackrock approached the vault door with Hagrid only to rudely tell the man to step back.

"Stand back," the goblin commanded importantly as it ran one long, razor sharp nail down an almost invisible crack "if anyone but a Gringotts Goblin attempted this they'd get sucked in and trapped."

Harry and Blaise exchanged looks.

"How often do you check to see if anyone's in there," Harry's insatiable curiosity surfaced.

The Goblin gave a nasty smile, "every ten years or so."

The answer pleased the slightly sadistic part of Harry's nature and he figured that if you were stupid enough to get caught in such a situation then you could take the consequences. But then Harry had also been raised with a strange sense of morals; they were twisted and only made sense to the other people in the world who shared a similar set of thoughts and upbringing, but they were morals nonetheless.

"Hope they thought to bring something to read with them," Manuel commented dryly as Hagrid returned to the cart, tucking a slightly grubby package into one of the many pockets in his furry jacket, "they'll go crazy with boredom otherwise."

Briefly Harry wondered what the grubby package contained to warrant such an obviously important vault but he had too many other important things on his mind, such as exploring Diagon Alley and getting his school supplies.

Back in the main section of the Gringotts building Manuel, Harry, Trevor, and Blaise parted ways from Crackrock and Hagrid. Hagrid was muttering something quite loudly about a pick-me-up at the Leaky Cauldron and still hadn't truly seemed to notice his cart companions, not that they minded. After changing pounds for galleons the group headed to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions where Harry and Blaise were fitted for their school uniforms. Manuel took over here having grown up being impressed upon how appearance was everything and had ordered their purchases to be of fine cut and cloth, or at least the finest permitted for Hogwarts uniforms. They also ordered a few robes and cloaks made from obviously expensive material for any important excursions into the wizarding world as well as everyday wear.

There was one brief encounter in the robe shop when a snobbish blonde took interest in the quality of their clothes and attempted to approach them in order to introduce himself, but a glare from the ever wary Manuel set him scurrying back to his measuring platform in a hurry. After that it was a whirlwind of shops such as Flourish & Blots where they bought their required course books for first year along with Hogwarts, A History; The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts; and some other books Trevor picked up, including many of the second level books and beyond. Blaise and Harry groaned at that, they wanted to be prepared when they entered the wizarding world but didn't want to do as much studying as it seemed they were going to be doing that summer to get to a level Trevor considered prepared.

After Flourish & Blots they picked up their telescopes, dragon-hide gloves, cauldrons, and phials as well as a set of scales in the various different shops. Then it was to Ollivander's for their wands, something Blaise and Harry had been waiting for excitedly. In the window lay a single gleaming wand on a faded cushion. The shop itself was a dark, gloomy, enclosed place that made the group slightly fidgety. No one was in sight but suddenly the quartet turned sharply towards a shadowy alcove that few ever noticed in time to see a creepy old man step forward on silent feet.

"It's been a long time Mr. Zabini," Ollivander said, "Oak and dragon heartstring, 12 inches, a stern wand."

Ollivander motioned Blaise forward, "which is your wand arm?"

Harry watched from his father's side, practically obscured by shadows, as Mr. Ollivander started the tape measure before abandoning it and searching through the stacks of long, thin boxes piled around the room while the tape measure kept measuring.

Finally Ollivander came back bearing an armload of boxes that he opened and handed the wand inside to Blaise for her to wave. No sooner had Blaise touched some wands then they were snatched back while others she waved only for something to explode. Finally Blaise hit upon the magic combination of willow and dragon heartstring, 11 ½ inches.

"Excellent," Ollivander exclaimed, "a perfect mix of both your parents' wands. Your mother's wand was made of willow, your father's core was dragon heartstring, and the length of your wand falls between their lengths."

As Mr. Ollivander went on for a few more minutes about the rare occurrence with Blaise's wand being the perfect combination of her parent's wands, which were exact opposites and therefore a highly incompatible and unusual mix, the measuring tape was dancing around Harry and measuring him at the oddest places. The tape had just finished measuring his hair and scar and had moved on to measure his teeth when he had opened his mouth to say something when Ollivander suddenly snapped and it stopped. Ollivander's attention was completely and fully on Harry, excluding everyone else in the room.

"Ah yes, Mr. Potter. I was wondering when I would be seeing you. You have your mother's eyes."

Ollivander's eyes flicked to the proudly exposed scar and his finger hovered in the air almost as if he yearned to touch the cursed mark, "and that's where…yes…I am sorry to say that I sold the wand that did it."

Harry had tensed during the exchange but relaxed when Ollivander turned back to business and began to hand Harry wands that he snatched back even quicker than he had for Blaise as if knowing it wouldn't be that easy for Harry to find a compatible wand.

Wand after wand passed through Harry's hands as Ollivander made his way deeper and deeper into the back recesses of his shop. Finally Ollivander seemed to come to some conclusion and made his way back to the front of his shop and carefully picked the cushion up with the wand on it and held it out to Harry. Harry took the wand with caution, something in Ollivander's blank face affecting his actions, and brought the wand down in a smooth wave. A silent wind filled the dusty shop as silver and gold lights filled the air.

"Curious," Ollivander muttered and Harry had to wonder if the old man was alright, his face had taken on a foreign hue as if two rare occurrences in one day were just too much.

"What is curious," Manuel spoke for the first time since they had entered the shop.

Ollivander looked up, his ancient eyes boring into Harry's even as he answered Manuel's question.

"That wand has laid in that window ever since my father made it over a century ago, the last wand he ever made. A very curious combination it is too. 12 ½ inches my father used Rowan wood, which is almost never used in wand making due to the high magical temperament of the wood, and a phoenix tail feather. The Phoenix which donated the feather in young Mr. Potter's wand gave only one other feather which wasn't made into a wand until years later by my hands, a wand that left this shop to give you that scar. You own a rare and temperamental wand young Mr. Potter, very powerful, all others who have tried to claim or use that wand have been injured in the process."

Ollivander's words hung thick in the dusty air, making everyone stir uncomfortably.

Quickly paying for the wands Manuel and Trevor ushered Blaise and Harry out of the dusty shop and back into the bustling, light filled main street of Diagon Alley. As Harry passed through the door he saw Ollivander sit on a spindly chair near the now empty cushion as if exhausted.

"What can we expect from you Mr. Potter," Ollivander's dry voice barely made it to Harry's ears, but it made the boy wonder.

What could people expect from him? What would he be capable of? Could he live up to the expectations it seemed the wizarding world already held for him? Harry had already seen the curious and sometimes adulating looks sent his way and knew that if not for his father and Trevor's commanding presence they would be all over him, mobbing him. Harry wasn't sure if he was ready for this, he was used to the shadows, not the attention and fame.

Their next stop was the Apothecary where they were assaulted by a strange and disgusting mix of odors, the pleasant ones having been overpowered by repulsive things Harry had of yet no name for. Leaving their fathers to pick up their potions kits and any other ingredients Trevor thought they needed Harry and Blaise began to explore. They saw various animal parts and withered looking plants as well as slimy creatures floating in some sort of viscous liquid. They were staring at one jar that looked as if it held the embryo of a disfigured child when Trevor and Manuel said there were ready to leave.

"I've gotten you both potions kits for first and second year as well as some filler vials so you can begin brewing this summer. Potion brewing can be a difficult and dangerous subject where things can easily go wrong if you aren't prepared and…"

Trevor trailed off as a tall, darkly robed man brushed past them and headed for the door of the Apothecary.

"Severus Snape," Trevor called out to the man who turned with a scowl on his face.

"Zabini," Severus nodded coolly, recognizing his old classmate even after so many years, "I do not have time for idle chat right now, I have to prepare for the upcoming school year."

Trevor nodded, "are you teaching potions at Hogwarts then? My daughter Blaise is starting classes this year as well as Harry."

Severus glanced over at Harry, taking in the scar. So this was Potter and the man behind him must be the uncle the brat was shipped off to live with. From what Severus had heard Potter had been the perfect image of his father when little but with his mother's eyes. The Potter in front of him did indeed have Lily's eyes though they were more guarded than Lily's expressive eyes had ever been; but he didn't look like James had, didn't have that pompous air about him. Harry's longish hair was pulled back neatly and secured at his neck with a leather thong and the boy possessed and air of alertness, of seriousness that James had never had.

Severus scowled and turned away, sweeping into the Apothecary without a further word; the boy would probably still be a damned Gryffindor. Trevor shrugged in dismissal and continued on with Harry, Blaise, and Manuel. He knew Severus' feelings towards James Potter and knew the Potions Master would try and see Harry as an extension of the father the boy had never known.

"You'll have to study well in Potions over this summer," Trevor said, "Severus won't go easy on you and will find fault with everything you do even as he tries to trip you up, he was a perfectionist when taking potions class at Hogwarts. We won't give him a chance to fault you."

'Especially you Harry,' Trevor thought, 'Severus will most likely try and take out his hatred of James on you. Severus was never one to let go of a grudge lightly.'

In Harry and Blaise's mind their last stop in Diagon Alley was one of the best, The Magical Menagerie. There were all kinds of birds, cats, mice and rats, snakes, toads, and creatures Harry and Blaise didn't have names for. Blaise found herself drawn to some sort of fur-ball creature that hopped around letting out chirps, squeaks, and purrs while Harry followed a voice he heard back to the snakes. A two foot silver and gold snake was the one that had been speaking.

"_You look like an interesssting human."_ The snake hissed, startling Harry.

"_Thanksss_," Harry said back, surprised when his voice came out as a hiss.

"_You_ _ssspeak_!" The snake was shocked, but before Harry could reply Trevor was dragging him over to where Manuel stood with Blaise, thankfully not having heard Harry speak in parseltongue.

"Now," Trevor said once they were all together, "your letters said an owl, a cat, or a toad so that is what we are here for. Not puffskeins or deadly, poisonous snakes. Blaise, I already have an owl so you don't have to get one though Harry should so that we can always make sure there is a way of communication open between us."

In the end Blaise got a black keazle crossbreed she promptly called Nisha while Harry picked out a fierce black and gold raptor owl he named Ciara. After the long day of shopping the group went to the Leaky Cauldron for a bite of dinner before heading home, knowing that the cooks wouldn't be expecting them for the evening meal even though there was always more than enough food. They all ordered the shepherd's pies with pudding as it was the specialty for the evening. Harry, Manuel, and Blaise also got their first tastes of pumpkin juice and Butterbeer before they had to head back to the muggle world and bring an end to the exciting and magical day.


	12. The Burdens of Albus

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 11:_ The Burdens of Albus

Albus Dumbledore sighed and took a deep sip of his fire-whiskey, he had spent all night at Number 4 Privet Drive and a nearby hospice trying to figure out what was going on and the things that he had discovered had served only to make the burden on his aging shoulders heavier. Two nights before there had been a disturbance with the wards surrounding the house at Privet Drive where Harry Potter lived with his aunt and uncle, the wards had actually seemed to strengthen like they had never done before and for a moment he had feared Harry was in danger but then everything had suddenly stabilized and been fine. Running a quick magical test Albus had found Harry to be at the house, safe and well, no sign of excess magical signatures anywhere in the vicinity so he had foolishly ignored the alarm.

Then last night the wards had suddenly crashed sending Dumbledore into a panic, this couldn't be happening so close to September first, so close to Harry's arrival at the safety of Hogwarts. Something was wrong with Harry, their hope and savior; Lily and James' son. Albus couldn't remember the last time he had run so fast to the apparition point but suspected that it had been that night almost ten years ago on Halloween night. Albus had smartly apparated a few streets away and ran to the Dursley residence to find the house and surrounding property cordoned off with bright yellow tape with muggle authorities pacing around it in agitation. It was the night shift guarding the house and from what Albus could overhear the crime had occurred the night before at around the same time there had been a disturbance in the wards. From what Albus could tell from extending his senses to the linger magic in the air the wards had vainly tried to maintain themselves after the disturbance had occurred but without a sane blood relative in residence the wards had finally collapsed this evening.

Casting numerous invisibility and silencing charms on himself as well as muggle repelling charms Albus had snuck closer to the house and slipped inside. What he saw caused a shiver of fear to run down his spine. Along one of the walls near the steps there were vivid red stains spattered across the paint as well as what appeared to be tiny pieces of shredded flesh at about the height of a man's head. On the pale beige carpet directly below the spattered streaks of blood that colored the previously pristine walls were more blood stains from where the body had fallen in a messy heap as well as some marks that emitted an odor faintly reminiscent of a latrine. His sharp eyesight kicking into overdrive Albus continued to search around and at one point on the wall behind the stairs there could be seen the imprints of where a woman's fingernails had gouged into the plastered wall, blood lightly filling the grooves where the fingers had split from the force placed upon them.

Nothing in the rest of the house was disturbed and it seemed as if the child's room had not been entered at all.

"Where are you Harry," Albus sighed, in his thorough search not noticing that the only pictures of a child in the house contained a large blonde boy reminiscent of an over-inflated beach-ball.

Realizing that the house could tell him nothing Albus took to eavesdropping on the muggle authorities who just happened to be talking while taking an alcohol laced coffee break.

"Shame really," one officer was saying in a confidential tone to his partner, "the man was killed while the woman watched on. Medics said she was screaming something bloody crazy when they hauled her out of there. The wench was trying to claw her own eyes out, they have her sedated and restrained in the padded ward at the hospice. That poor boy too, having to sit in that hospital with his mother while they try and figure out what to do with him; social services be called soon. At least the boy wasn't here when it all happened."

Albus felt as if the deities had smiled upon him and thanked Merlin and whoever else would listen for leaving such obviously untrained officers on duty tonight, they had just saved him a load of work by wagging their loose tongues. Using Legilimency Albus pried the location of the hospice from the mind of the officer that was slightly less drunk than his companion and apparated, changing into a muggle suit as he did; no need to attract more attention then he had to, not that the overly long beard and outrageous colors of his suit helped him blend in all that much. Thankfully the halls were dim and empty leaving Albus with no problems as he snuck past the nurses on duty and finally found himself at the ward he had heard spoken of. Bypassing the locks on the doors with a simple '_alohomora_' Albus found himself standing next to the bed of a distraught woman who was strapped down with soft, heavy gloves on her hands that were obvious precautions to keep her from tearing at the bandages fastened around her head. Where her eyes would be if not for the heavy bandages a faint hint of blood could be seen seeping through. The woman kept mumbling and trying to thrash about even though an IV drip kept her heavily sedated.

"Lily," the woman, Harry's aunt, half-muttered and half-screamed, "no, not Lily, not Lily's eyes. Sorry Lily…no…"

Shaking his head sadly Albus moved to the next bed over where he could see a child huddled, many blankets piled over him to form a protective padding, most likely a physical form of protection that the child needed for his mind though in truth it served to make the child look more fat than protected. Albus felt sorry for young Harry. He had lost his parents when only a year old, now his uncle was dead and his aunt had most likely lost her mind for good. Gently Albus moved some of the covers away from the boy's slumbering body, wanting to catch a glance at Harry's face while he was asleep and without the past days trauma weighting him down. What he found shocked him to no end. The boy beneath the covers was not Harry Potter and did not look a thing like Harry Potter would have.

Moving over the night table next to the hospital bed Albus picked up the hospital identification card that was lying there with shaking hands. Dudley Dursley the card read, age eleven. Albus dropped the card back where he had found it and a frown crossed his face.

This was Harry's cousin then. But if he was here then where was Harry, the officers at Number 4 Privet Drive had only mentioned one boy. Where was Harry? Had he been taken? Was he still alive? A noise rang out in the corridor and Albus realized the night crew was making their last rounds before the change in shifts. Not knowing what else to do, but knowing he would discover no more where he was, Albus apparated as close as he could to Hogwarts and made the slow journey back to his office to pour himself a shot of fire-whiskey and sit dejectedly while Fawkes hovered near his shoulder piping up occasionally to offer comfort as only a Phoenix could.

Albus Dumbledore, proclaimed greatest and most powerful wizard of the time spent the rest of the day going over everything he had seen and heard only to realized belatedly that it had not appeared that Harry had ever lived at Number 4 Privet Drive. He should have checked up on the boy on occasion instead of just leaving him with his relatives while hoping all went well and they heeded the letter he had left. He shouldn't have placed so much faith in the wards. He had known that the wards would remain constant until the summer of Harry's eleventh birthday due to the powerful nature of the blood spells, only after that would Harry's presence be required to sustain the wards; he should have checked to make sure Harry was actually living on Privet Drive sooner. He should have set up a wizard in the area to check up on young Harry…

This was how Severus Snape found the Headmaster of Hogwarts when he entered Albus' office after the dinner hour with the barest of knocks. Not bothering to sit or even wonder why Albus was indulging in spirits he launched straight into his account, not knowing how badly it would rattle the already shaken Albus.

"While at Diagon Alley today I saw the precious boy-who-lived and a man I suppose to be his uncle," Severus sneered, "you will be pleased to know he seems content."

Turning Severus made to leave before Albus could reply, his duty done, only to whirl back at the crystalline sound of shattering glass.

Albus' hand twitched as what Severus said sunk in and the glass fell to the floor, shattering into a million sharp and sparkly pieces coated in a caustic amber liquid.

"This is not possible," Albus' raspy whisper filled the silence that had pervaded the room, "his uncle was murdered two nights ago and I wasn't able to find a trace of Harry anywhere, there was no sign he even existed at Privet Drive."

Albus downcast eyes rose to face Severus Snape's shocked expression and a new light bloomed in their twinkling blue depths, "tell me everything you know, everything you heard and saw."

And Severus did, not leaving anything out. He told of his run in with Trevor Zabini and his daughter Blaise where he caught his first sight of the Potter brat. He told Albus how Potter had looked and how from Trevor's statements it was a given to assume that Harry was coming to Hogwarts. Then he told of the nameless muggle man he had assumed to be Harry's uncle, but without a name they didn't have much to go on and because of the protection spells cast on Harry as a baby locating charms did would not work on the boy. So they tried to cast location charms for Trevor but it seemed that the crafty Slytherin wizard had also taken precautions when he left the wizarding world and neither he nor his daughter could be traced.

In the weeks before term started a few trusted members of Hogwart's teaching staff such as Severus, Minerva, Hagrid, and Filius were sent out to make a discreet search for the missing boy-who-lived as well as to try and locate Trevor and Blaise Zabini who had been last seen with Harry in Diagon Alley. But each time they returned empty handed from not having any real leads to work with when they started. Yet Albus now had hope, he just knew that Harry Potter was still alive and if he had been seen alive and well in Diagon Alley not but two days after the murder of his uncle then surely he must be coming to Hogwarts. They would just have to wait until September 1st and hope that Harry Potter was aboard the Hogwarts Express along with all the other students making their way to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Then a very serious talk would have to take place to find where Harry Potter had been if not with his aunt and uncle, they could not afford to lose tabs on the savior of the wizarding world, they could not afford to have him outside of their control where the dark forces that inhabited this world could try and lay claim to him.

* * *


	13. Way of the Elders

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 12:_ Way of the Elders

Over the next few weeks leading up to September 1st Harry and Blaise took every opportunity they could to slip away from Trevor and his fanatical teaching lessons on magic. It was plain to them that he had spent way too long a time away from a world he obviously loved even for the bad memories it brought him. They hid everywhere they could think of, even the laundry shoot, but with a wave of his wand and a well said spell Trevor always found them. Harry tried to manipulate his wandless magic to hide them from Trevor's tracking spells but didn't know how to bend his will for such a desire and failed. Whenever Harry used his wandless magic he only needed to visualize what he wanted to happen and it would, he didn't know what he could possibly visualize to keep a spell from finding him. Harry had found a spell in one of his books though that he could use to thwart Trevor but didn't know how to combine spells and his wandless magic together, in truth he knew next to nothing about wandless magic and how to use it beyond picturing things happening. Their wands weren't an available option to use to cast the spell as according to Trevor any use of wand magic by an underage witch or wizard outside of school was tracked and penalized.

In the end and after a stern lecture from Manuel, Harry and Blaise buckled down to their studies and began to absorb magical theory and history. The only class they could do practical work in was potions leading for Harry and Blaise to spend a lot of their summer standing over gently simmering cauldrons that threw off a lot of heat in the basement room they were using for their magic-related lessons. As they brewed Trevor would pound into their heads the different combinations of ingredients and their reactions as well as how to correct various mistakes that could happen during the brewing of various potions. In Trevor's eyes neither Harry nor Blaise were bad at Potions even if they weren't naturals, he had finally stopped them from blowing cauldrons up on purpose, and both turned in properly made concoctions nine out of ten times though on occasion the color was just a tiny shade off or the liquid a hair too thin. Trevor only hoped that these lessons would be enough to help them survive under Severus' prejudice and perfectionist nature.

**… … … … …**

Harry was bored; he had just finished an intense session with Sensei in which his arse had gotten royally kicked. Blaise and Trevor were having a quality father-daughter day and Manuel had gotten called in to the office of his legitimate electronics business to deal with some problems that had arose. Harry knew he could go find some of the guards for further training or companionship but he was too sore to move from his bed. Besides, he would be seeing them all later that night for an early farewell party. In about a week he and Blaise would be heading for Hogwarts but the guards had been told that they were both going to a private boarding school in France so that they could continue their educations with other children their age without having to worry about attacks and assassination attempts. Harry sighed, so many secrets even within their tightly knit household but then secrets were the life-blood of the Mafia. He turned his attention to the stack of magical textbooks beside his bed. His eyes flicked over the books and he commented on each one:

"Transfiguration, read them. Charms, read them too. Defense books, devoured them. Potions, had them pounded into my head. History books, don't feel like sleeping. Herbology, glanced through. Astronomy, stars recognized. Hogwarts A History, can't wait to see the ceiling. Arithmancy, read but not needed till third year. Ancient Runes, as if I don't know enough languages and codes. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, wonder where to find a doxy to stick in Trevor's bed. Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, now know more about myself than even I wanted to and wonder where I can learn some of those awesome curses. Quidditch, too bad first years can't have brooms. Book on Jinxes and Pranks, memorized. The book on wizarding laws and cultures it is then."

A few hours later Harry snorted as he finished reading the section on the basics of wizarding culture. The purebloods and their ideals wouldn't continue to last for long if they didn't change to keep up with times. Not that they would last much longer if the book was right about all the close inter-family inbreeding. He could understand their ideas of keeping their blood pure and untainted by the non-magical even if he thought it foolish and didn't quite agree, he wouldn't want to marry his cousin after all. Harry briefly wondered what they would do when they were all so closely interrelated that there were no respectable matches left and their children were born mutated. Harry shivered at the thought, when he and Blaise had been younger one of the guards who had spent some time in the States had delighted in telling them stories of the horrors of inbreeding that took place in some less populated areas in America. Personally Harry hoped the man had been watching too many movies on the box.

Standing Harry felt his muscles strain andcursed himself for lying around so long after his training with Sensei without properly stretching. Wincing Harry began to slowly stretch each individual muscle set at a time in hopes of limbering up a bit to do a fuller stretch so he wouldn't be sore all night. It took nearly half an hour before Harry had all the kinks worked out, he had even considered going to Sensei for some help and perhaps a massage but decided that working through the pain was much more preferable than the lecture and exercises he would have gotten. Still moving a little less freely than he would have liked Harry left his room in search of his father only to discover that he wasn't home yet and neither were Trevor and Blaise. Feeling a bit alone even though there were many others in the house Harry briefly went out the to stable to visit Azrael, he hadn't had much time for the stallion lately and promised his four legged friend a ride the next day when there was more light. His dad would kill him if he went out for a night time ride.

With nothing else to do, Harry still didn't feel like hanging with the guards, he went back to his room and skimmed through the book he had been reading for any laws that could allow him to use his wand without attracting the Ministry's attention. He got through one page before quitting. How in the hell could Trevor expect them to read this book. The laws were so riddle with twists and loops that it would take decades to unravel them and they were incredibly dry on top of that. He hadn't minded the part about wizarding culture; it had been pretty interesting until the author had turned fanatical about pureblood statuses and wealth. Harry threw the book aside and lay on his back across his large bed, one arm artfully thrown over his eyes as if to block out the world. His mind kept flashing over the laws Trevor had mentioned on the use of underage magic. Why was it that if he used his wand they would detect his magic but if he used his magic without his wand it didn't seem to get picked up on? Could there be some sort of detection spells on the wands that alert the authorities? If so there must be some way around it.

He would have to get Trevor to pick up some books on wandless magic and ask him about it, but come to think of it Trevor never did any magic without his wand. The other day when Trevor was working on a potion he hadn't dared leave he didn't just reach out his hand to summon the ingredient he wanted but had picked up his wand and used and incantation to bring it to him, why do that when it was simply easier to just will it over? Unless Trevor couldn't do wandless magic. Harry was beginning to wonder about wandless magic, what was the point of having wands when they weren't really needed for magic to work. He had been experimenting with using his hand as one would a wand and was coming very close to being able to cast real spells, because after all wasn't the wand merely and extension of the hand, a focus tool for the magic already inside a witch or wizard. Before he knew it Harry had drifted off to sleep, thoughts still plaguing his mind as he tossed restlessly around. Elsewhere in the world a pair of red eyes shone briefly from the eyes of a freshly acquired human host.

**… … … … …**

Manuel arrived home in time for dinner around the same time that Trevor and Blaise did. Not finding Harry already at the table when he entered the dining room Manuel went upstairs to his son's room where the guards said he had been most of the day. Not receiving any answer to his knock Manuel silently and cautiously entered the room. There on the bed lay Harry, the soft glow of a reading lamp illuminating the boy as he tossed restlessly upon the already tangled and sweat soaked covers.

Carefully Manuel reached out a calming hand to his son's shoulder and called, "Harry, wake up, it's only a dream."

The resulting reaction was totally expected by Manuel who had woken Harry from nightmares before, though none had been recently, and he raised a hand protectively as Harry came jolting back to reality.

Trapped in the world of nightmares that engulfed him Harry felt a hand upon his shoulder and bolted upright, the knife that seemed to be an extension of his arm whipping about towards where he had last felt the hand. Even during his restless sleep Harry's subconscious had not allowed him to forget years of conditioning and the knife had not dropped from his hand as he roiled within the horrors his mind conjured as he slept. Smoothly Harry's hand was intercepted in a firm yet gentle grasp, Manuel speaking softly to him even as he took the knife and laid it on the bedside table. It took Harry's pounding heart a few moments to quiet itself enough that the blood didn't rush into Harry's ears and drown out his fathers words.

"Nothings here to hurt you my son," Manuel soothed, "but what plagues your dreams so."

Slowly Harry recounted the dream that had used to haunt him as a toddler, but this time told mention of a pair of red eyes blazing in triumph. It had been years since he had sat in his fathers arms, held closely in the warmth and security as he recalled the screams of a mother's desperation, a high pitched cackle of menace, and the flashes of sickly green light. Manuel too remembered the dream that had once haunted his son almost nightly and knew the significance behind it well, it had all been explained in that fated letter a man named Dumbledore had left with the newly orphaned infant all those years ago. Manuel also knew that at this time there were no words that could be said and silently led his son to the dining room, Harry did not need to be alone and did not need to dwell on the dream anymore. Strange though that the dream should start to bother Harry again now after he had come to terms with it years ago.

That night as Harry prepared to go sleep after his father had tucked him in and been reassured that he would be fine alone the young boy reached into his nightstand drawer and pulled out a small object. It was a dream catcher given to Harry years ago by a Native American Indian who had dedicated himself as a guard and secretly helped Harry to chase away the nightmares. Cheveyo had been his personal guard when he was little and had guided Harry, teaching him the ways of the Ancestors. Not long before Harry's seventh birthday Cheveyo had been called home to his people but had reassured Harry that all he would have to do would be to call out to him in times of need and he would come. So far Harry had never called out, but he remembered Cheveyo's teachings and missed his mentor fiercely. Harry hadn't needed the talisman for many years, but the dream earlier hadn't felt right and it had set his scar to aching though he hadn't told his father that. For a moment Harry studied the charm woven of sacred wood and sinew that was decorated with beads and feathers before he rose from the bed to kneel by the window.

Reverently Harry stared up at the full moon hanging majestically in the deep night sky and held out the dream catcher so that a shaft of moonlight fell directly onto it. Softly he began to chant, a personal plea Cheveyo had helped him create. The chant came from the depths of Harry's soul, a mantra that was uniquely his.

_"The Earth, the air, the fire, the water.  
Into the silence of the night,  
Into the silence of the moon,  
I am making my dreams come true._

_I call the fire.  
Burn fire, burn bright  
Pure vision come to me  
And guide my path tonight  
With your strength and light._

_Soaring eagle; mighty lion;  
Ancient serpent; dark bull;  
Spirit guides of warriors  
Protect me in my life's flight._

_The Earth, the air, the fire, the water.  
Into the silence of the night,  
Into the silence of the moon,  
Guard and keep pure my dreams this night."_

As Harry finished the chant the dream catcher seemed to glow with an inner light and a sense of peace flowed through Harry and filled him, his eyes seeming to flicker a different color for a brief instant though he didn't know it. Carefully Harry moved the dream catcher to his neck and tied the attached twine securely around his throat, allowing the talisman to rest with comforting warmth against his chest next to the dragon pendant he had taken to wearing. When Cheveyo had left Harry had felt betrayed as any child would and had stopped wearing the talisman out of petty spite, he hadn't realized how bare he had felt without the familiar presence until now. Climbing into bed Harry lay down to let peaceful sleep claim him and vowed he wouldn't take the dream catcher off again. He didn't realize that the dragon pendant briefly pulsed with a soft glow before once again falling dormant.

* * *


	14. Awaited Partings

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 13:_ Awaited Partings

Harry woke the next morning to the feeling of eyes watching him. It was Manuel.

"Dad," Harry groaned, "do you know how creepy it is to wake up and find you just sitting there staring like that?"

Manuel grinned, "unless I get cloned or have an out-of-body experience I doubt I ever will. Did you sleep okay?"

Harry nodded; he had slept perfectly through the night after having calmed his mind with the still familiar ritual. Harry wasn't going to tell Manuel about the dream catcher though as he didn't want his father to think he was being weak by believing in the talisman's power and while Manuel was okay with 'conventional' magic Harry didn't know his stand on Native American rituals and the invocation of spirits. Besides all that Manuel hadn't known that Cheveyo was teaching the way of the Ancestors to him and it was something Harry wanted to keep to himself.

"Shower and get dressed," Manuel said as he stood, "its not too much longer before you have to leave for Hogwarts and we're not going to waste any of the time we have."

Twenty minutes later Harry was walking into the breakfast room where his father, Trevor, and Blaise had just started to eat. Today Harry wore a soft pair of black pants that allowed for easy movement and a dark green tee-shirt that set off his eyes, his hair which was still damp from the shower was secured back with a leather thong. Hidden away under his shirt was the dream catcher and dragon pendant. That there were weapons also concealed on his person was also a given.

Plopping down in the empty chair next to his father Harry began spooning food onto his plate while asking, "so what are we doing today?"

Two hours later found the group at the amusement park and climbing out of the car after the guards had given the all clear signal. Trevor had driven them this time, had actually driven them every year since Harry's seventh birthday, and so by the end of the ride they actually still had their entourage of guards. Needless to say Manuel was missing the speed of his SRT-10 Viper keenly; Trevor just didn't have the same need for speed. Once inside the security center of the park Trevor turned command over to another of the senior guards under his command so that he could be a father instead of a guard that day. The usual security checks given at the main gates were performed, only in the case of the quartet it was to make sure that they were well armed instead of unarmed and they were being debriefed on security measures all the while.

As it turned out that in an attempt to keep an attack from happening like the one four years ago the park was closed to the general public that day though a special pass had been issued to the local area orphanages allowing them admission with only one adult for every five kids. This allowed the guards to keep easier tabs on possible assassins as the park was nearly empty. It wasn't like they would have to worry about the kids pulling guns, except for Harry and Blaise of course, and only a set number of adults would be roaming around in the park. There was also the added benefit of short lines for the rides and giving the orphans free admission and food passes would have a positive effect on Manuel's public standing. Finally the quartet was turned free with a discreet following of guards to enjoy a carefree day devoid of any attacks or assassination attempts. It was the perfect father-child outing to Harry, especially when some of the guards following them learned why you never ate before getting on the Sickened Skull rollercoaster ride five times in a row.

Harry didn't think that anything could have made his day better than to see the hardened guards puking into trash cans but surprisingly it was the awe on many of the orphans faces as they ran amok through the amusement park that intrigued him the most. He hadn't often thought about the fact that kids growing up in orphanages never got to do things like go to amusement parks and ride the rides. It wasn't till later though that Harry and Manuel ran across one boy they hadn't expected to see. They had just joined a small line in front of one of the food stands when from the front they heard an overweight child hollering for expensive sweets, all the while stamping his foot in an imperious sort of tantrum.

"I want an Atomic Blizzard Boat with chocolate, and sprinkles, and nuts, and candy," the eleven year old heifer was shouting at the poor concession stand employee, "and I want pizza and corn dogs. Now!"

Rolling his eyes Manuel led Harry away from the line and up to the front where the boy was still loudly demanding his sweets.

"Is there a problem here," Manuel's voice was soft and commanding.

Foolishly the boy did not heed the warning and began to whine, "this man won't give me my order, he says my ticket won't cover the order and I'm being greedy. My parents would have gotten me what I wanted and right away too."

Turning to the hapless park employee who had been at a loss on what to do and a bit flustered to be confronted by his boss' presence Manuel instructed, "give him what his ticket will cover, if he gives you any more problems ring security to escort him back to the head of the establishment he is with."

Turning to the boy Manuel's countenance turned stern and frightening to the boy, "you would do well to learn not to overindulge and act so spoiled when you have no way of backing your actions."

With that Manuel and Harry walked away knowing that things would be handled accordingly without their continued presence and left the others who were present to deal with the boy that was now screaming about his Aunt Marge and custody.

"Now we know what happened to my cousin," Harry commented offhandedly a few minutes later, "glad I wasn't raised like that, that boy has no pride or dignity to look and act in such a manner. I'm surprised that he can even walk with such a gut blocking the view of his feet."

The week flew by after that with Manuel, Trevor, Harry, and Blaise spending as much time together as they could. But their increased public appearances together also made them greater targets and the occasional attack or assassination attempt often put a damper on the family quality time. But today all that came to an end; tomorrow was September 1st and today they had to pack.

"Harry," Blaise yelled as she marched down the hall from her room to his, "you have my copy of Hogwarts: A History."

Harry rolled his eyes, "and you have my copy of The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts so we're even."

Blaise chucked a heavy tome in the general direction of Harry's head and the raven haired boy ducked just in time, the book falling into the magical trunk sitting open on his bed.

"Thanks," he grinned and without thinking magically sent Blaise's copy of Hogwarts: A History levitating through the air and into the dumbstruck girls waiting hands.

"Harry," Blaise's voice was hesitant as she stared at the book that had just floated to her, "what did you just do, Harry?"

Harry jerked his head up and realization flashed across his face and for a moment he looked panicked, the proverbial cat was out of the bag now.

"Ummm," Harry tried to think how he could explain away the fact that he could do what some of their text books declared impossible, he knew she wouldn't buy the explanation of accidental magic, what he had just done was too controlled for that.

"Harry James Potter-Darkov!" Blaise's voice was filled with menacing warning.

Harry settled for the truth as he knew it, "I don't know how I did it, I just unconsciously willed the book to you. I've been able to do stuff like that as long as I can remember."

Blaise looked like she was ready to say something but voices drifting towards them from down the hall stopped her.

"Do they know?" She asked instead, referring to their fathers.

"Dad knows, but Trevor doesn't," Harry said, hurriedly adding, "but dad doesn't know much about the wizarding world and thinks it's normal. I don't want Trevor to know yet; I don't understand it and don't want the attention that I would get if people knew I could control wandless magic. Swear you won't say anything Blaise, swear it."

For a moment Blaise looked torn, she didn't like keeping secrets from her dad but Harry was her best friend.

"I swear it," she whispered harshly before slipping out the door and to her own room to finish packing, her father would be joining her in a few minutes to make sure she was packing everything she needed.

"Almost finished packing?" Manuel asked as he walked into Harry's room.

Harry rolled his eyes, "I'm still trying to get all these books into the trunk. I haven't even started on clothes or anything else yet. It's a good thing Trevor got us these magically enhanced trunks with different compartments, otherwise there is no way we'd be able to fit all these books he's making us take along to study from."

Manuel chuckled; Trevor had been a bit fanatical when it came to the books he had gotten the children and had made sure they each had a copy of every book he had picked out. But then knowledge is power and Harry and Blaise would need the power of knowledge and would have to use their quick brains to manipulate that knowledge to help them in whatever situations they found themselves in. Harry was a praised hero in the wizarding world and Manuel knew how easily public adoration could turn against a person, Harry and Blaise would have to watch their backs in both worlds now. Manuel sighed and left Harry to finish his packing, in this world he could protect his son but in the wizarding world he would only be able to helplessly watch as his son faced down whatever troubles came his way.

By the time dinner rolled around Harry and Blaise were finished packing and futilely arguing with Trevor and Manuel that they should be allowed to take their swords with them to Hogwarts.

"How are we going to keep practicing if we don't have our swords," Harry grumbled, "and since you're letting us take our guns and knives what difference would a sword make?"

Manuel sighed, they had been over this many times already and still Harry argued. Blaise had given up arguing with her father after Trevor had yelled that his decision was final, but Manuel didn't want to act that way with Harry. He would rather give Harry a chance to argue his position and give in to superior experience than pull one of those 'because I am you father and I say so' routines.

"There is no reason to practice with your swords at Hogwarts if you do not have a trainer. You will not be able to advance your studies any without proper tutelage and could injure yourselves; the moves you already know can be practiced and refined without a sword in your hands. I do not want to hear any more on this," Manuel finally ended the debate, "perhaps next year I will reconsider depending on your progress here at home with Sensei."

Harry nodded, accepting his father's decision. He had run the argument for as long as he could without seeming as if he was whining and had still been able to make valid points. Harry had known he would not be allowed to take his sword to Hogwarts and had also known that it would be a pointless addition to his trunk without someone to continue to aide in his training with the deadly katana. The argument had been more for funs sake than actually getting permission to take his sword to Hogwarts; Harry would miss the similar debates he often had with his father.

It wasn't until Harry was heading to bed that night that it truly hit him that in the morning he would be heading for a place where his father could not follow no matter what power he wielded in the muggle world. For the next few months Harry would not be able to see his father at meal times or fend off the occasional mock attacks Manuel liked to spring on him. Harry stiffened his shoulders, he would miss his father but this was something he had to do and Harry knew he would be able to come home on the holidays. He was a Darkov, he was strong and he wouldn't show weakness by being homesick even before he left. Harry fell asleep with firm resolve filling him that night, one hand under his pillow and grasping his dagger while the other twined lightly with the chain and twine fastening the two pendants around his neck.

The next morning a gentle shake and calling of his name had Harry up and alert, knife at the ready even though he knew it was his father who was in the room with him. Only his father, Trevor, and Blaise could get so close to him while he slept without him knowing it or causing him to react defensively. Harry wondered if this extra sense he seemed to have had anything to do with him being a wizard but didn't know of a way to ask Trevor without revealing his other abilities.

Looking towards the window Harry gave a small half-smile even though the sun hadn't risen yet and his dad was waking him up, he knew the reason behind the early rising. Silently Harry took the black Japanese Gi Manuel handed him and slipped into it before quietly following his father down the back steps and out the door. On a relatively flat patch of ground in the back yard Sensei stood waiting. Together father and son joined their teacher, ignoring the slight chill in the morning air as they silently awaited the arrival of the missing two members of their tight knit group. It was true that all the guards were family and they were all close but the five of them made up a core group in the hierarchy of their mafia family. When Trevor and Blaise arrived moments later a faint tinge of light was trying to make its presence known upon the far horizon. As one the group bowed in the direction of the sun and assumed a general fighting stance before they began to weave their way through the graceful motions of The Path, an exercise Sensei had cultivated by combining many forms of the martial arts and summarily taught to them.

The sun had risen by the time the group of five once again came to rest, their limbs flowing smoothly into stillness as if they had not been active mere moments before. In sync they bowed again in the direction of the sun and Sensei finally broke the silence that they held sacred on the rare occasion they performed The Path together out in the open where watching eyes could see.

"Good morning," Sensei said with a slight inclining of his head before turning solely to face Harry and Blaise, "do well while you are at this boarding school and do not forget to practice your martial arts skills. Every morning as the sun rises I faithfully follow The Path; I hope you shall face the same sun as I do."

Sensei walked off and disappeared back into the house, leaving the others to follow as they headed for breakfast. Though Sensei had been slightly cryptic in the way he relayed his message Harry and Blaise had understood what their trainer and mentor had been saying. Even though they would be away at school they could still take comfort in performing The Path knowing that Sensei and their fathers would be doing the exact same thing at the exact same time even if it was only in the privacy of their rooms. It would be a link for them, holding them together even though distance would separate them.

Breakfast passed in a leisurely manner since they were all up early and Harry and Blaise had packed for Hogwarts the night before. Yet soon enough Trevor and Manuel were ushering their now excited and slightly tense children to the car and loading up their trunks into the boot of the car. For Harry and Blaise, both whom had only the night before been a bit saddened to have to leave their fathers to go off to school, it was an abrupt turn around for them to be showing the level of excitement they currently were. Not that you could tell they were excited just by looking at them, they had more restraint than that and to know what they were feeling you had to know them and be able to read the emotions hidden in their eyes. You had to be their fathers. Manuel smiled at Trevor, he had basically come to terms with the fact that his friend had kept such a secret from him and was now glad that Harry would have Blaise with him at Hogwarts. Trevor smiled back, their children would be fine and his friendship with Manuel was still going to be as strong as ever.

"I'm driving," Manuel declared suddenly and grabbed the keys from Trevor who was forced to climb quickly into the front passenger seat or risk being left behind.

Harry couldn't help but grin when he noticed the white knuckles of Trevor's hands as 'Uncle Trevor' gripped the 'oh shit handle' of the car tightly.

By quarter after ten they had arrived in London at Kings Cross Station thanks to some reckless driving on Manuel's part, only managing to get pulled over once. Needless to say the pale and shaking officer would check twice before pulling over any more pricey looking cars that day. You would think that a mafia king would find another way to get his kicks in than breaking every single traffic law in England that he could, especially when he already knew he could get away with it.

With minimal fuss Manuel and Trevor loaded their children's trunks and animal carriers on trolleys even though any guard or porter at the station would have dropped everything they were doing to cater to the commands of Manuel Darkov or his second, Trevor Zabini. This accomplished the group walked purposefully towards platform nine and almost all the way to platform ten. They arrived in time to see a large redheaded family seemingly disappear into thin air, two boys that were obviously twins glancing around in an overtly furtive manner.

"Harry, Manuel," Trevor spoke up, "you two first. Walk straight through; there is nothing there to stop you. Blaise and I will follow."

Together Manuel and Harry took control of the trolley with Harry's belongings on it and made their way towards the barrier. As Trevor had told them to they walked straight through what appeared to be a solid wall and came out on the other side to see throngs of robed people milling about as well as others wearing what they considered to be ordinary, muggle, clothing. A huge scarlet steam engine sat idling on the tracks, blowing off white clouds of steam laced with golden sparks. Trevor and Blaise appeared behind them and Harry turned to share a grin with his friend.

"Let's get you two a compartment," Manuel said as Trevor scanned the premises with hawk-like eyes, watching for something.

Nodding to show that he couldn't sense anything wrong Trevor and Manuel took flanking positions at their children's sides and made their way to the rearmost compartment of the train where they found an empty cabin. After stowing their trunks Harry and Blaise followed their father's to a deserted corner of Platform 9 ¾ where they prepared to say goodbye.

"Are you armed?" Manuel asked Harry quietly as Trevor turned to gave Blaise the same routine.

Harry nodded and surreptitiously motioned to where his weapons were and whispered about which ones he had on him. He was outfitted to the full as usual with a knife in his left boot and a gun strapped to his right leg at the boot, an arm dagger graced his left arm, another gun rested in the small of his back in a slightly uncomfortable harness, and his wand was in his pocket. He also carried a tiny knife strapped to his right thigh, but it was more there just to have it in case the need arose and wasn't meant for fighting. Blaise was similarly armed except she preferred to only carry one gun at the small of her back; a gun at her ankle bothered her for some reason. Trevor and Manuel were pretty much satisfied but Trevor had one last thing to give the children before they left for Hogwarts.

"Wand holsters," he said as he handed one to each Harry and Blaise, "much safer than keeping your wand in your pocket. They go on your right forearm and will magically size to fit both your arm and wand. They also prevent your wands from being stolen or summoned from you. I want you two to practice drawing you wands later until you can pull them as fast as you can your daggers."

Then it was time for Harry and Blaise to get on the train and time to finish the farewells.

"Love you dad," Harry said and hugged his father, "I'm going to miss you and while I don't promise to behave I know the parental drill and will at least try and stay safe."

Manuel couldn't help but chuckle and ruffle Harry's hair, "I wouldn't dream of telling you to stay out of trouble, what sort of father would I be if I did that? Just don't go picking fights. I love you too kid, have fun and watch out for Blaise."

Harry and Manuel pulled out of the hug so Blaise could tell Manuel goodbye and Harry walked over to Trevor to give him a hug as well saying, "bye Uncle Trevor."

Trevor was a bit shocked at the hug but returned it replying gruffly, "watch each others backs at Hogwarts and write to tell us what house you are in."

Harry and Blaise made their way together to the train after that, passing the family of redheads again and hearing the twins say something about never blowing up a toilet seat but that it was a good idea. Harry and Blaise smirked at each other remembering past pranks and turned long enough to wave one final time to their fathers before disappearing inside the scarlet steam engine to get settled in their compartment. Moments later the final flood of students were climbing onto the train and the door to the compartment they were in slid open suddenly causing both Harry and Blaise to reach for their daggers though they did not unsheathe them quite yet knowing that it was most likely other students.

It was the twins and the other redheaded boy that they had glimpsed at the station. The twins leaned out the window they had thrown open and the third boy stood around uncomfortably while their younger sister stood out on the platform crying.

"Don't, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls. We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat," the twins yelled out the window.

Harry smiled slightly, he liked these twins already, "you could always fill the headmasters office with toilet seats."

The twins whirled from the window as the train began to move and faced Harry and Blaise.

"Please excuse us," one of them said.

"I'm Gred and this is Forge Weasley," the other took up.

"Pranksters extraordinaire!" They finished together with a bow.

Gred, or Fred as Harry strongly suspected was his real name motioned to their younger brother who was by now scowling "and our ickle brother little ronniekins."

"Do you mind if he sits here, we have to find Lee Jordan."

"He has a tarantula you know!"

The twins stopped talking after having alternated speaking their sentences and were waiting for introductions.

"This is Blaise Zabini," Harry introduced Blaise before himself, "my name is Harry Potter-Darkov. Come back later and we'll talk pranks."

The twins grinned as they glanced at the exposed scar and shook Harry and Blaise's hands fervently, teased their brother one last time, and then left to find Lee Jordan.

The scowling Ron plopped down in his seat while holding a squirming rat rather tightly in his hands and gawked at the scar on Harry's head. Harry rolled his eyes at Blaise and the two turned patented, mafia-style glares at the hapless redhead.

Either the boy was stupid enough to ignore the glares or didn't see them and blurted out, "are you really the Harry Potter?"

Blaise snorted, "can't you see the scar? Didn't you hear him introduce himself?"

Ron flushed and sat back against his seat, mumbling to himself as the door slid open again.

"Anything off the cart dearies," a plump, kindly witch asked them and Harry once again moved his hand away from his dagger as he and Blaise stood up and eagerly moved to the cart.

Trevor had told them all about wizarding candy and they were eager to try it all. For the next few moments Harry and Blaise picked over the candy before selecting a bunch of everything. Blaise loaded the candy into one of the compartments in Harry's trunk while he pulled his money bag from his pocket to pay the trolley lady, receiving a sickle and a few knuts back in change. Ron mumbled something unintelligible about not wanting anything off the cart and the trolley lady left as Harry and Blaise looked over their selection of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, Sugar Quills, Cockroach Clusters, and a few other varieties of candy.

Harry and Blaise spent the next hour or so swapping different candies back and forth while looking over their chocolate frog cards and adding them to the collection Trevor had given them when they were interrupted once again by a bushy haired girl barging in with a timid looking boy in tow behind her, asking if they had seen a toad anywhere. Introductions again went around and Hermione Granger starting spouting off all the books she had read Harry's name in. Sighing Harry tuned her out and turned to Neville Longbottom. He was tempted to tell the poor boy in jest that he had overheard someone say that further up in the train they were trying to feed a toad to a tarantula but realized it would scare the boy even more than he already was. Pulling out his wand Harry didn't note that the Granger girl had fallen silent and asked Neville what the toads name was.

Concentrating Harry remembered the passage Trevor had made him and Blaise read on summoning charms and cried out, "Accio Trevor the toad," while moving his wand through the correct motions, augmenting the spell by visualizing it happening as he would with his wandless magic.

Moments later a fattish toad came zooming down the train corridor to plop into Neville's outstretched hands. Tucking his wand away Harry was glad when Hermione and Neville left, the girl still going on about all the spells she had done right. Harry wondered if she would notice anytime soon that no one was listening to her.

Harry, Blaise, and Ron who was still gracing the two friends with his presence had just finished changing into their school robes when the compartment door slid open yet again. Harry managed to resist the urge to reach for his dagger and this time only stood to face the newcomer. It was an aristocratic looking blonde haired boy that Harry vaguely remembered from the robe shop in Diagon Alley.

"I've heard that Harry Potter is sitting in this compartment," the boy began his eyes flicking over and dismissing Ron out of hand from his looks and settling on Harry as he held out a hand, "my name is Draco Malfoy."

Ron snorted in a sound somewhat reminiscent of a pig and Draco whirled, retracting his hand and reaching for his wand.

"Think my name is funny Weasel," he sneered, "I know who you are; just looking at you says it all."

Ron jumped to his feet, face burning red at the insults that laced Malfoy's voice when the train came to a stop at Hogsmead Station. Ron fell to the floor while Draco fell into Harry and Blaise who managed to stead the aristocratic boy before they all went down. A magically amplified voice filled the train and instructed the students to leave their luggage on the train and that it would be taken to the castle separately. Holding out his hand Harry shook Draco Malfoy's hand in greeting before moving so that Blaise could do the same.

"I'm Harry Potter-Darkov and this is Blaise Zabini," he introduced them as was only polite before turning away with Blaise and heading outside the train.

They left Draco standing there feeling as if his gesture of good will towards the boy-who-lived had just been turned on him as if Draco Malfoy was the one who needed a hand extended to him. It was a feeling Draco wasn't used to experiencing and he wasn't quite sure how he should react about the situation. With a superior tilt of his head Draco left Ron to straighten himself out and followed the other students off the train.

* * *


	15. Across the Lake

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 14:_ Across the Lake

Harry and Blaise stepped easily off the train and quietly merged with the crowds of students milling around, striving for anonymity as they assessed the situation. A shadowed figure that seemed to be holding a flickering lantern loomed over the huddled group of clueless first years as a voice bellowed.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"

Shrugging at each other Harry and Blaise smoothly cut their way through the crowd and realized as they got closer that it was the same man they had shared a Gringotts cart with during their trip through the deep catacombs of the wizarding bank.

"C'mon, follow me—any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

Slowly the confused throng of first years followed the bobbing lantern down a steep path, stumbling every few seconds while the older years made their way to the carriages. Even for those who were fleet footed the narrow path they were following downwards towards a darkly shimmering body of water was treacherous and Harry and Blaise used each other to keep their balance as other students plowed into them and slid haphazardly down the slope.

The ground suddenly leveled out leaving Harry and Blaise to sigh in relief. Too many people had fallen against them on the trip down, invading their personal space, putting them on edge, and threatening to upset their precarious balance. Then just when they thought they were in the clear Neville went skidding by them to plow into the giant form of Hagrid who didn't even seem to notice. Wrinkling her nose slightly in disgust Blaise bent down and picked up Trevor the toad who had taken an unexpected flight and handed him back to a slightly battered Neville before wiping her hands off on her robes. Harry grinned.

"Who would have thought Blaise Zabini could be so girly," he lightly teased, earning himself a sharp elbow in the ribs as he had no room to move in order to dodge the blow.

The friends stopped their hushed banter as Hagrid spoke up again.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder as he continued to stride forward, "jus' round this bend here."

Loud exclamations could be heard from the awed first years as they took in as much of the grand castle and grounds visible to them in the inky dark night. Across the expanse of black lake rose a sheer cliff that formed one face of what appeared to be a high mountain and atop that loomed a vast castle boasting many turrets and spired towers. Yet this imposing edifice boasted of a welcoming warmth with its glowing windows sparkling in the starry sky, almost as if the lights shining forth were trying to compete with the very stars that graced the heavens. It was the perfect battleground Harry thought as he gazed upon the magical castle and yet it called to him in the same way the Darkov mansion did, it would also be a haven. Nimbly climbing into one of the gently bobbing boats with Blaise at his side Harry was glad to see that Ron wasn't in the boat with them. Instead the other bench seat was taken up by an excitedly bouncing Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy who had regained his cool and aloof composure.

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid who took up a whole rowboat to himself. "Right then – FORWARD!"

The fleet of little boats moved off with no visible means of what was propelling them forward as they glided silently across the glassy smooth lake, leaving behind no wake or ripple to even indicate the passage of the student laden boats. A silence had fallen over the group as they all stared up at the great castle overhead as it towered over them the nearer they drew to the cliff on which it stood.

"Heads down," Hagrid yelled as they neared the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that waved slightly even in the absence of any breeze, giving them tantalizing peeks of the dark tunnel that lay beyond.

Harry and Blaise complied and ducked their heads along with the others even though it went against their teachings to bare their necks in such a manner when others sat so close behind them but they kept their eyes up and alert, straining them to pierce the surrounding darkness as their pupils dilated to take in what little light Hagrid's lantern offered.

By now they were underneath the castle and some of those in the group of scared first years could swear they felt the tons of rock and heavy pressure of the castle bearing down upon them as the boats docked at an underground harbor. Idly glancing around as Hagrid made his way up the stone step path to a huge, oaken door Harry took in the reactions of everyone around him and was faintly amused to see Neville practically strangling his toad. Blaise looked as composed as ever though a light seemed to shine freely from her eyes; Ron had a frightened look about him and kept brushing frantically at his robes as if to knock some crawling thing from them; Draco looked awed and slightly timid though he still sneered in his superior way; Hermione was bouncing so hard the curls in her hair were dancing; others seemed nervous, excited, or frightened in turn and Harry had to wonder what someone would see if they looked at him in this moment. Outwardly he probably resembled Blaise's attitude though inwardly he was excited and just a bit nervous, he could practically feel the magic inside him reacting to the heavy waves of magic surrounding him in the very air they now breathed.

Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castles doors that opened nearly immediately as if the tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes that stood there had been waiting impatiently for quite some time.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

Professor McGonagall thanked Hagrid before brusquely ushering the new first years the huge entrance hall that more than rivaled the one at the Darkov mansion. Flaming torches lined the walls in intricately decorated sconces but even the light they gave off was not enough to illuminate the hidden corners and vaulted ceiling somewhere high above them and beyond the sweeping marble staircases. As they followed Professor McGonagall the first years were ushered beyond a doorway that excited voices floated out from and into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in like a herd of sheep headed to the slaughter, Harry and Blaise melting into the back of the crowd while keeping their backs to the wall at an angle that allowed them to take in everything that was going on without allowing them to be snuck up upon. Their actions caused them to be missed in the penetrating sweep Professor McGonagall made of the first years as she sought one child in particular, hoping to spot the child and give the Headmaster some good news.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall, "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room."

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours."

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting. I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly."

The whole speech was said in a stern and well-rehearsed tone of voice and at the end the commanding witch glanced pointedly at certain students whose appearance was lacking and telling them to clean themselves up a bit without overly embarrassing them. Harry and Blaise didn't bother to fuss over their appearance, knowing with the quiet certainty of a Darkov and a Zabini that their appearances were clean and smart even after the journey they had made to get to the castle. As soon as the Professor left them, a buzz of nervous chatter filled the room, seeming to echo slightly off the stone walls, as robes and hair were smoothed though a few students stood around attempting to look confident and bored, idly picking at imaginary pieces of lint in cool disdain. Harry assumed that these were the purebloods that had grown up their whole lives around magic, knowing that they would be attending Hogwarts and therefore had an image to hide behind.

Most of the talk was centered on how they would be sorted into their houses and theories were flying around about tests they would have to take or spells they would have to cast. Blaise overheard an interesting mention of an orb that was the closest to what the hat would be doing, but none of the theories were right. Silently Harry and Blaise conferred about revealing the truth about the Sorting Hat that Trevor had told them about but decided against it, mentioning anything would be like revealing the punch line of a joke before the joke was even near the end. Harry was half lost in a whispered conversation with Blaise, punctuated with the silent hand gestures the guard used when a short, shrill scream filled the room only to be echoed by a few more. Acting on instinct Harry and Blaise settled their bodies so they were balanced on the balls of their feet, knives out but kept low so as not to be seen, and hands ready to retrieve their guns if needed.

The source of commotion became evident a few moments later and with an aggravated shake of his head Harry sheathed his knife and relaxed his body, there wasn't anything that mortal weapons could do about ghosts even if the ghosts could harm them. Yet for all the noise a few frightened first years had been making a moment ago the ghosts hadn't noticed that they were not alone in the room and continued with their argument. What looked like a fat little monk was saying:

"Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance—"

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost—I say, what are you all doing here?"

A ghost in a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years but no one answered him, instead the Friar-like ghost did by guessing they were about to be sorted and mentioned that Hufflepuff was his old house when McGonagall came back to usher them into the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony. The ghosts floated away through a different wall than the one they had come through while the Professor instructed the group of now very nervous first years to form a line and follow her. Falling in at the end of the line Harry and Blaise followed behind the rest of their year mates, a slight churning feeling taking root in the pits of their stomachs now that something was actually happening. It was the same feeling of anticipation and nervous fear the friends felt whenever they knew something was going to happen or danger was coming their way. It was the taut readiness that possessed them every time the alarms went off at the mansion alerting them to a break-in or the guards pressed them to the ground and shielded them, ready to sacrifice their own lives for the children under their care. But this time there wasn't danger, at least nothing tangible that they could fight against such as an assassin. They entered the Great Hall in which the already seated occupants were rapidly falling silent.

* * *


	16. A Serpent's Heart

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 15:_ A Serpent's Heart

Even after Trevor's detailed and sometimes nostalgic description of Hogwarts Harry and Blaise weren't expecting, and couldn't have ever hoped to imagine, such a strange and splendid place. The only source of light came from the thousands upon thousands of candles that hovered and floated in midair over four long wooden tables where the older years of students were already sitting. And if Harry and Blaise thought the fancy china they used on rare occasions in the Darkov household were fancy and expensive it was nothing compared to the sight of the gleaming and glittering golden tableware that lay in perfect rows down each side of the tables. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting, the only difference between that table and the four house tables being that only one side of the high table was set so that the professors could lord over the hall without distractions or turning their backs on the students.

It was the high table that Professor McGonagall led them to with the teachers behind them and hundreds of adolescent faces staring at the nervous first years, adding to the tension they felt. Staring defiantly back Harry blanked his face and gazed around, taking in the sight of the occasional ghost before he directed his attention to the enchanted ceiling above him. The ceiling was high above them and the soft glow of the candles did not quite reach the velvety blackness in which the occasional hints of midnight blue could be seen blending in around the stars that seemed to be watching over them. Nearby he heard Hermione whisper how the ceiling was bewitched to look like the sky outside and vaguely remembered reading it in Hogwarts: A History. But the dry words of a book did not do justice to the real thing and Harry found it hard to believe that there was a ceiling at all. It seemed as if the Great Hall was really in fact opening up to the very heavens. His father would love to see this Harry knew for oddly enough for a Mafia King Manuel loved ancient castles, wide open and natural spaces, and the night sky. Harry remembered some of the summer nights that they had lain outside in the softly scented grass and gazed at the stars. Such things were their escape from the real life they lived.

A movement to his left had Harry looking down again and he nudged Blaise so that she would do the same when McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of them. On top of the stool she placed a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Harry wondered if Blaise's brief episodes in going girly on him would cause her to refuse to put the aged hat on her head but turned his thoughts back to the hat as complete silence over took the hall. The hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth—and then the hat began to recite its rhyme:

_Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,  
__But don't judge on what you see,  
__I'll eat myself if you can find  
__A smarter hat than me.  
__You can keep your bowlers black,  
__Your top hats sleek and tall,  
__For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
__And I can cap them all.  
__There's nothing hidden in your head  
__The Sorting Hat can't see,  
__So try me on and I will tell you  
__Where you ought to be.  
__You might belong in Gryffindor,  
__Where dwell the brave at heart,  
__Their daring, nerve, and chivalry  
__Set Gryffindors apart;  
__You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
__Where they are just and loyal,  
__Those patient Hufflepuffs are true  
__And unafraid of toil;  
__Or yet n wise old Ravenclaw,  
__If you've a ready mind,  
__Where those of wit and learning,  
__Will always find their kind;  
__Or perhaps in Slytherin  
__You'll make your real friends,  
__Those cunning folk use any means  
__To achieve their ends.  
__So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
__And don't get in a flap!  
__You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
__For I'm a Thinking Cap!_

The whole of the hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song, except for the nervous first years that just stood there staring at the hat. Then the hat bowed to each of the four tables became relatively still again though it had not appeared to fall into dormancy. Some of the first years relaxed a bit as their fears were put to rest while it seemed that a few stiffened. Harry had to wonder if they were just nervous or if they had something to hide. Harry had spent odd moments ever since Trevor had told him and Blaise about the Sorting Hat trying to figure out what house he would belong in but was unable to decide, not that it would matter as long as Blaise was there with him. Harry didn't know what he would do to the hat if it separated them, they had always been together, but he knew it wouldn't be pretty. He and Blaise were partners in crime. Professor McGonagall began to call names off a long roll of parchment she had just unrolled.

"Abbot, Hannah!"

A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moment's pause—

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.

The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.

"Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.

"Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Harry could see Fred and George cat-calling.

"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin and Harry looked over at the Slytherin table.

He had heard a lot about that house and how it was mostly shed in a bad light, but he had also heard the truth about Slytherin house from Trevor who had been a Snake himself. So what if they looked like an unpleasant lot, sometimes certain masks needed to be cultivated for protection against outside forces and stereotypes often forced people to act in certain manners that weren't their own.

Harry watched "Finnigan, Seamus" sit on the stool for nearly a minute before becoming a Gryffindor.

It seemed some people were harder to place than others.

"Granger, Hermione" also became a Gryffindor and from his place in the line Ron Weasley gave a loud groan for some reason or another.

"Longbottom, Neville" took a while to place before being shunted into Gryffindor.

Then the hat barely touched Draco Malfoy's head before "SLYTHERIN" rang out through the hall and the aristocratic blonde swaggered to the Slytherin table with a pleased smirk plastered across his pale face.

Perhaps some of the stereotypes about Slytherin were true. There weren't many people left now.

"Moon"…, "Nott"…, "Parkinson"…, then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil".., then "Perks, Sally-Anne"…,

McGonagall seemed to pause and draw a breath as if praying for something and Harry knew what was coming, the list had been written alphabetically and based upon her reaction as well as his celebrity status he knew his name was next. Harry gave Blaise a pointed look and she nodded ever so slightly back before…,

"Potter, Harry!"

As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.

"_Potter,_ did she say?"

"_The_ Harry Potter?"

The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall full of people craning their necks to get a good look at him and he could feel the eyes of the teaching staff pounding into his back. He resisted the urge to flick them all off and was resigned to doing it in his head as he found himself looking at the black inside of the slightly smelly hat. He waited.

"A bit crude don't you think," said a small voice in his ear in reference to his mental gesture.

"Difficult. Very difficult. You've faced danger and death before and have courage, yet there is a sharp mind filled with knowledge here as well. Ambition and talent as well and a healthy streak of mischief. And secrets, oh yes, secrets. Now that's an interesting ability you have here Mr. Potter. You are loyal and hardworking as well but cautious about those loyalties. Certainly you also possess a twisted sense of morals as well…So where shall I put you?"

Harry rolled his eyes inside the hat thinking, "aren't you supposed to be the one to decide?"

The hat chuckled, "cheeky as well. You would be great in any house you went to but you would also wreak changes in each. Best put you where you won't cause as much damage to house morals and beliefs though perhaps you can wreak some change for the better. I fear you will shake this very school to its foundations. Enjoy yourself Mr. Potter; I'll be seeing you around—better be 'SLYTHERIN!'"

The last word was shouted out by the hat for the whole hall to hear and Harry was glad it wasn't shouted inside the hat as well and thought, "I will enjoy myself," before slipping off the hat and gazing out upon the stunned hall. Serene and confident Harry made his way to the Slytherin table and took his seat amongst his housemates as a deadly silence reigned. It was suddenly broken as the Weasley twins started clapping from over at the Gryffindor table only to be picked up by the Slytherins who couldn't believe that the Savior of the Light was in their house. By the time Harry had made his way to the Slytherin table none of the teachers showed any extreme reaction to his Sorting though quite a few teachers seemed flustered. The Sorting went on quickly after that though McGonagall's voice seemed a bit forced.

Finally McGonagall called out "Zabini, Blaise" and rolled up the scroll as the girl sat on the stool.

The hat chuckled lightly into Blaise's ear as she sat upon the stool, "you are quite like him aren't you? Smart, cunning, brave, and loyal yet your morals are also very different from those most hold. You, like him, do what you must do and while you might regret it you don't look back. I wonder if I dare put both of you together but who am I to separate two partners in crime. You two are going to give the Old Coot hell. Good luck in—SLYTHERIN!"

With her head held high Blaise made her way to the Slytherin table and sat in the seat Harry had kept open for her, not daring to think his friend would end up in another house. Up at the high table Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He beamed around at the students, his armed opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there. No one could tell by his outward appearance that he was inwardly damning the Sorting Hat and had lost all train of the carefully prepared speech he had made. So he did the only thing that came to mind.

"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"

The Headmaster sat back down, ignoring the puzzled looks of his professors and began to fill his plate with the food that had suddenly appeared, trying to gather his scattered thoughts.

Severus Snape calmly sat eating his dinner while keeping a sharp eye on his Slytherins, especially one Harry Potter whose head was bent close to that of Blaise Zabini. He had been fairly surprised to hear the Sorting Hat place a Potter, and the son of James Potter at that, in Slytherin. Already it seemed that his conceptions of the boy were being shattered. It would be hard to treat Potter as he deserved after all James had done now that the boy was one of his treasured Slytherins; James Potter had never been anything but the epitome of Gryffindor. Minerva was likely having a heart attack over Harry Potter, savior of the wizarding world being placed in the house reputed to be a breeding ground for dark lords and dark followers. How would Dumbledore deal with this development, he knew the Headmaster had wanted the boy in Gryffindor where tabs could more easily be kept on him. Severus saw Draco Malfoy lean towards Harry Potter and engage the raven-haired boy in conversation, drawing him into introductions of the other first years, and the potions professor turned his mind to the speech he would be giving the new first years after the feast. He almost felt sorry for the new Slytherins, just by the decision of the Hat they were in for some rough years full of hatred and suspicion.

**… … … … …**

Harry and Blaise had started eating and were discussing the reactions Blaise had observed from the teachers and students as Harry had been sorted. Blaise quietly told Harry that McGonagall had actually dropped her scroll and a very short teacher had fallen from his chair with a squeak. Dumbledore had leaned forward slightly when Harry's name had been called and when Slytherin had been shouted out his eyes had quickly shuttered, closing off all emotion as he seemed to rear back. The man, Severus, they had met in Diagon Alley had been surprised but hid his reaction well. Another teacher in a turban had almost seemed in pain when Harry had been sorted into Slytherin though there was no visible cause for it. The student's reactions had been obvious enough to Harry after he had removed the hat but Blaise pointed out that the Gryffindors almost seemed betrayed, a thing which Harry could easily understand since according to Trevor every Potter to ever pass through Hogwarts had been sorted into Gryffindor.

They were about to continue analyzing the reactions following Harry's sorting when Draco Malfoy decided to intrude upon their conversation.

"Potter, Zabini," Draco began as if presuming himself a leader among the new first years as he introduced them all, "this is Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bulstrode, and Theodore Nott. The resident ghost is the Bloody Baron."

Harry and Blaise nodded politely to each of them and looked to the ghost sitting on the other side of Draco, the blond did not look too happy at the seating arrangement as he mentioned the name of the ghost. It was the most horrible looking of the ghosts Harry had seen so far with its blankly staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood.

The ghost's attention snapped to them as its name was mentioned and Harry couldn't stop himself from asking, "how did you get covered in blood?"

The soulless eyes gazed long upon Harry and the mafia prince resisted the urge to shrink away from them and show weakness.

The Bloody Baron's mouth opened in a grim parody of a grin and his raspy voice issued forth, "brave for a Slytherin, you are. Not even the other ghosts dare ask."

Without another word the ghost floated away leaving behind a very relieved Draco Malfoy and the feast came to an end.

Professor Dumbledore got to his feet and began to give the start-of-term announcements such as magic not being allowed in the corridors between classes and when Quidditch trials would begin. The mention of the Forbidden Forest intrigued Harry and Blaise as well as the out of bounds third-floor corridor on the right-hand side. Anything that was forbidden was worth exploring though they did frown at each other after hearing that the corridor was off limits to everyone who did not wish to die a very horrible and painful death. What would they keep in a school full of students that could possibly cause a painful death and why? The rest of the Slytherin table was trading similar glances and a few frowned as scattered laughter came from other tables, who would be stupid enough to laugh at a death threat?

Harry glanced back up at the head table in time to see the emotions on the teachers faces become forced, though Dumbledore's next words explained everything perfectly.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song! Everyone pick their favorite tune and off we go!"

Dumbledore flicked his wand and a golden ribbon flew out, hovering in the air for a moment before gracefully writhing into words.

It was just enough time for Blaise, who loved to sing, to nudge Harry and whisper, "May It Be, Enya."

_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,  
__Teach us something please,  
__Whether we be old and bald  
__Or young with scabby knees,  
__Our heads could do with filling  
__With some interesting stuff,  
__For now they're bare and full of air,  
__Dead flies and bits of fluff,  
__So teach us things worth knowing  
__Bring back what we've forgot,  
__Just do your best, we'll do the rest,  
__And learn until our brains all rot._

It was a cacophony of noise that filled the hall as melodies clashed and voices split on notes too high. Harry and Blaise continued to sing their chosen tune through it all, drawing out each word and line to fit the set parameters of the song. The two finally drew to a close by drawing out the word rot before fading away, allowing the Weasley twins to go solo as they finished their very slow and overtly solemn funeral march.

The first year Slytherins left the great hall and followed a prefect, Melantha Jacoson, towards the dungeons only pausing long enough to smirk at the Gryffindors who were being harassed by Peeves the poltergeist. Continuing on to the dungeons the Slytherins had almost made it to the entrance to the common room when Peeves struck at them only to have his attack stopped by the raspy voice of the Bloody Baron as the bloodied ghost floated menacingly after the wayward poltergeist. The Baron may not be nice or sociable but he wasn't about to allow Peeves to harm any student of Slytherin house. Melantha stopped at a blank stretch of wall and spoke the password so all could hear, "astucieux," causing the stone wall to open and admit them into the safe haven of their common room with its green, silver, and black decorations. A fire blazed cheerfully in the fireplace and standing before the leaping flames waited their head of house.

"Congratulations on being Sorted into the noble house of Salazar Slytherin," their head of house spoke softly, drawing them in with his commanding voice as he glanced at each of them, "I am Professor Severus Snape. I teach potions and am also your head of house. Despite what you may have heard Slytherins are not dark lords or dark followers in the making just because they have been sorted into this house, you are a blank slate and each of you may make your own choices as you wish. You will be looked down upon and perhaps shunned by the other houses for being placed in Slytherin. No matter what happens here in the dungeons I expect you to present a united face to the school and stand by each other. Your biggest rival and problem will be the Gryffindors. If you need help do not be afraid to ask your older house mates and my office is always open to a Slytherin in need."

Concluding his speech to the new Slytherins, Severus Snape swept from the common room and headed for his own chambers situated further into the dungeons while the Slytherin first years sleepily followed their older housemates towards their dorms. In the first year boy's dorm sat five curtained four-poster beds. The green and silver bed curtains were of expensive silk and heavily embroidered velvet that flickered in the dancing flames from the fireplace set into one wall. At the foot of each bed was a trunk and Harry was pleased to find his bed was in a corner and closest to the door. Next to him was Draco Malfoy, then Theodore Nott, leaving Crabbe and Goyle at the far end of the room. Noticing a door at the far end of the room Harry discovered a grandly appointed bathroom and changed into his pajamas and got ready for bed. Resolving to check out the desk and wardrobe set next to his bed the next day Harry climbed under the black coverlet bearing the Slytherin crest that was on his bed. Taking comfort in the familiar feel of his hand wrapped around the knife he had tucked beneath his pillow Harry James Potter-Darkov fell asleep, feeling in a way that he had come home.

* * *


	17. A New Day

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 16:_ A New Day

Dumbledore agitatedly paced around his office, the Sorting Hat on the stool in front of him, as he furiously sucked on a lemon drop.

"Slytherin," Albus was practically shouting at the hat, "you put the hope and savior of the wizarding world in Slytherin. What were you thinking?"

The hat merely sat there and if a hat could smirk this one was. Dumbledore continued to rant, having no one else to vent his frustrations to.

"Both his parents were Gryffindors; the Potters have always been in Gryffindor, was it really that hard to put another Potter in Gryffindor. We had talked about this earlier before the Sorting. Harry is the hope of the light. Slytherin turns out more dark wizards than any other house. The older students could influence his decisions and tell him the wrong things."

The hat frowned and finally the rip near the brim opened up, "as Headmaster of this school you should know the untruth behind the words you just uttered. I sorted Harry Potter into Slytherin house for who he is and who he can be, I did not sort him by thinking of how the wizarding world thinks of him or how they think they want him to be."

Dumbledore suddenly looked his years, his worried anger deflating.

"I swore the night his parents died that I would guide Harry along the right paths and protect him. I can't protect him in Slytherin, not as well as I want to. Severus somehow manages to prevent my interference with the Slytherins as he tries to protect them from the prejudices of the world, but Severus hated James Potter and I'm afraid that hate will extend to Harry. Please resort him, say there was a mistake, a spell cast."

The Sorting Hat tipped its topmost point forward, "I cannot do that Headmaster. I cannot be tampered with and I did not make mistakes with the sorting. Harry Potter will remain in Slytherin."

Realizing a losing battle when he saw it Albus Dumbledore retreated to his bed chamber and prepared for sleep, thinking of all the methods he could employ to guide the savior of the wizarding world along the path of light.

Back in the Headmasters office the Sorting Hat turned to the crimson phoenix resting on a plain perch.

"Things have been set into motion my old friend," the Hat spoke gravely, "changes will happen in the wizarding world and the powerful Albus Dumbledore is about to learn of the extent of his magic and mortality. Harry Potter will indeed shake the foundations of Hogwarts but the aftershocks will spread through the wizarding world."

Fawkes merely trilled, a light chuckling sound. The Hat was always so grave and pessimistic after a Sorting. Fawkes had seen as many ages as the Hat, both had once belonged to Godric Gryffindor after all. Yet while the Hat had to think ahead and delve through the minds of each new batch of students Fawkes himself lived for the present and couldn't wait to see what havoc Harry Potter and his friend wrought. They might even prove to be more entertaining than the red-haired twins.

Instinct woke Harry not long before sun up even though he hadn't gotten to bed all that long ago. It was disorienting to wake up in a room listening to the sounds of other males sleeping, at least two were snoring loudly, and the only light was coming from a crackling fire instead of seeping through curtained windows. It was a wonder he had been able to relax enough to sleep at all. For a moment Harry just lay there soaking in the magic. Stretching languidly Harry slipped out of bed his feet moving silently across the thick, dark green carpet covering the stone floor to help ward off the chill of the dungeons. Using the faint light from the fire Harry was able to make his way across the unfamiliar room to the door without waking his roommates. Moments later he was cautiously entering the Slytherin common room causing the torches to flare to life as Blaise stepped into the room from the opposite doorway. They smiled at each other and joined together in the center of the room.

"It's almost time, where at?"

Harry looked pensive for a moment. Even if they could find their way to the outside he didn't know if they were allowed out onto the grounds and he wanted to get a feel of the castle and the rules before going against them. The better you knew the rules the easier it was to break them without getting into trouble.

Making his decision Harry turned east to face the grand fireplace and fell into position.

"No matter where we are at the sun rises from the east."

Beside him Blaise fell into position as well and they began to walk The Path as Sensei taught them. First position, second…Harry felt his eyes flutter closed and he imagined he was in the yard of the Darkov mansion with his father, Sensei, and Trevor as the sun rose to play warmly across his body along with a gentle breeze…last position. Harry's eyes opened and he was once again fully in the Slytherin common room. Harry didn't have to look at Blaise or even ask to know that the girl had not experienced the same gift, the same vision that the magic of the castle had just given him.

"Good morning," Harry greeted Blaise and received the usual echoed greeting in return.

Neither noticed as the shadow of a black robe whipped around the corner and out of the common room as they headed back to their dorms to get ready for the day.

Harry made a bit more noise as he made his way back to his dorm, he didn't want it to seem as if he was sneaking around and give people a reason to try and spy on his and Blaise's morning ritual. Harry ducked in the door to his room, just in time too, as soft footsteps came down the hall signaling that some of the older years were already up. Peering through the crack he had left between the door and frame Harry saw one of the male prefects from last night stumbling past, everything else was silent. Fetching his Hogwarts uniform Harry ducked into the bathroom and eagerly ducked under the hot spray of the shower, the hot water running refreshingly over his toned body. Twenty minutes later Harry was dressed and had just pulled his damp hair back into a low ponytail. Satisfied Harry headed once again towards the Slytherin common room knowing that if necessary his currently unassuming appearance could turn dangerous. The gun hidden inside the folds of his school robes and the knife tucked in his boots gave Harry a feeling of secure confidence as he got ready to face new people and the hopes and perceptions they held for him.

Entering the common room Harry found Blaise already waiting for him but the prefect was snoring loudly on the couch, making an occasional odd grunting noise as he did.

"I think this lazy lump was supposed to show us the way back to the Great Hall for breakfast," Blaise rolled her eyes, "but I don't think he is going to be much help."

As if on cue Harry's stomach growled and after a few minutes of futilely trying to wake the slumbering prefect he and Blaise gave up and left through sliding wall to find their own way to breakfast, only admitting that they were lost after having passed the same portrait for the third time though the frame looked suspiciously different and Blaise finally remembered her father saying something about the pictures being able to move between frames to visit other portraits.

"We are so lost," Blaise groaned as they rounded yet another corner, "we'll never…"

Blaise suddenly stopped talking and froze alongside Harry as they came face to face with the Headmaster. Neither had heard the old man coming.

"Good morning Mr. Potter, Ms. Zabini," Dumbledore greeted the new first years jovially, "you're up early for first years and heading in the wrong direction if you wish for breakfast. Follow me. Lemon drop?"

Declining the lemon drops Harry and Blaise fell in step with the Headmaster as he rattled on about seeming nonsense before cunningly turning the conversation to the real point he wished to make.

"And that reminds me Mr. Potter that I am afraid we had a bit of trouble with the owl we sent to you. We of course received your acceptance letter but there was no address, something that is needed for the school records."

For a moment Harry opened his mouth to answer before closing it quickly and twisting his tongue around a new reply to give to Dumbledore before he walked through the doors to the Great Hall.

"I received the owl perfectly fine and the address was correct on the envelope. I don't see how there could be a problem with you not knowing the address if the owl was able to find me. And if I read Hogwarts, A History right the letters are only addressed with a name and the address is spelled to appear as the owl approaches the recipient of the letter since an owl can deliver its burden at any time, not just to the home. Thank you for leading us to the Great Hall, I doubt we would have found it anytime soon on our own and I really am hungry."

With a nod Harry and Blaise parted ways from Dumbledore and headed towards the Slytherin house table as the Headmaster made his way to the head table.

Sitting down at the nearly empty Slytherin table Harry and Blaise idly noted that not many other students were present at this early hour and only a few teachers were at the head table, their own head of house included. Satisfied that no one was near enough to overhear their conversation the two friends piled food on their plates from the dishes that had magically appeared and bent their dark heads together as they talked.

"What was that all about Harry," Blaise was referring to the conversation with the Headmaster, "he seemed like a batty old man at first rambling like he did, but he skillfully turned the conversation and almost caught you up. If you and Manuel didn't play word games like that so often he would have had you, for a second I think he did."

Harry nodded; he had barely caught his slip in time and had just managed to salvage the situation. He didn't know why the headmaster was suddenly interested in learning his address from him.

"I don't know what he was digging for but I'm sure he would have kept trying had we not walked away then. We'll have to watch ourselves around him until we figure out possible ulterior motives."

Turning their conversation to more innocent matters, such as what their classes would be and what homework they would get, Harry and Blaise continued to eat as more students sat down to breakfast. Harry found himself glaring at various people as they pointed and whispered loudly about him but his expression turned to one of slight amusement to see the sleepy Slytherin male prefect leading in the first years followed by a worried looking Melantha. She was muttering something about already having lost two first years and Harry couldn't help but grin at the thought that he had already inadvertently began to cause trouble. When Melantha spotted them the two friends could tell they were in for a slight tongue lashing but were saved by their head of house silently passing out their schedules.

"Potions first," a boy to their left commented to them, "with our own head of house. Too bad the Gryffindorks are in there too. It might have actually been an interesting lesson. I'm Theodore Nott and you're Harry Potter and Blaise Zabini."

Theodore held out his hand to the two and spent the rest of breakfast talking to the two friends as if he hadn't just met them that morning. As they left the hall to head to potions with the rest of their year, following directions given to them by an older student Blaise flashed some hand signals asking what Harry thought about trusting Theo. For a moment Harry hesitated before flashing back 'caution' and 'go ahead' without missing a beat in the conversation he was having with Theo regarding defense against the dark arts and the trembling looking teacher they had discovered would be teaching it. They only stopped talking when they joined the silently nervous group of first year Gryffindors outside the closed door of the potions classroom.

* * *


	18. Suspicious Happenings

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 17:_ Suspicious Happenings

_They only stopped talking when they joined the silently nervous group of first year Gryffindors outside the closed door of the potions classroom…_

Then a few minutes before class was to start the door of the classroom slowly swung open on silent hinges that reminded Harry very much of a scene out of a bad horror film. The mood seemed to have affected the other students as well for what little conversation there had been ceased instantaneously as they filed into the classroom and took their seats. Standing just beyond the light cast by the torches their professor waited and once they were all seated the door closed with a soft thud of finality making a few of the more nervous Gryffindors jump. Snape began class by taking roll, his silky voice holding a threat of danger in it as his eyes flicked calculatingly over each student. Harry wasn't sure if it was his imagination or not but he could have sworn a sneer entered the potion masters voice as he called out his name and the calculating eyes seemed to pause especially long on him, studying him.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," professor Snape began.

His voice was low and soft but no one in the room would dare not to listen, even those in the back of the classroom caught every word.

"As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses…I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper on death—if you aren't as big a bunch of _dunderheads_ as I usually have to teach."

Harry had to smirk at the stress the professor had put on the word dunderheads, he was willing to bet that his head of house had much more powerful words that he would rather substitute for that one but could not do so without stirring up trouble. It had also been noted by many that the last sentence had been directed mainly towards the Gryffindors though a few Slytherins shifted nervously as well. Without warning Snape started rapidly firing questions off at some unsuspecting Gryffindors, sneering at every wrong answer and ignoring the stretching hand of Hermione Granger. Much to the pleasure of many Slytherin's Ron Weasley had just lost Gryffindor twenty points and was being lectured on not thinking to open his book before class when Snape caught sight of Harry's slight smirk.

"Mr. Potter," the dark eyes were now trained on him, "perhaps you could tell us what would happen if you add the stinging nettles to a burn salve before taking the cauldron off the fire."

It wasn't a statement, but a challenge and Harry suddenly found himself glad that he had made such a mistake that summer, however painful the resulting explosion had been; he had started taking Trevor's potion lessons more seriously after that, not keen on repeating the mistake.

"The potion would be ruined, sir," Harry began, lifting his eyes from the notes he had been dutifully taking, "and except in a rare case the potion would also explode as the extreme heat required for the potion's successful brewing reacted with the volatile nature of the stinging nettles. Any skin contact with the potion would cause sever burns and itching."

Snape's nodded almost reluctantly and sneered "correct" before turning to the board.

With a wave of his wand instructions were thrown onto the board on how to make a simple potion to cure boils.

"Begin," it was an order that every student followed.

Quickly setting their cauldrons to boil Harry and Blaise ran through the recipe for the potion and began preparing the ingredient they would need first. Carefully they shredded, cut, and powdered according to the directions knowing that the better prepared the ingredients were the better the potion would turn out. As they were brewing Professor Snape stalked around the room and leered over student's shoulders trying to unnerve them into making mistakes. It was best to be calm when brewing potions and outside distractions often needed to be ignored at crucial moments. Harry and Blaise understood why their professor was acting the way he was, wanting to teach them control while they were still working with relatively harmless potions and under a trained eye, but they disagreed with this happening on the first lesson when he wasn't even explaining the potion or any brewing techniques that should be used. Many students in the class hadn't even seen a potion before and were now being expected to work in such a tense environment. It took a firm discipline for both Harry and Blaise to ignore their professor and keep blank faces when he loomed over them, both felt uncomfortable allowing an unknown entity so close against their defenses.

By the end of class Harry was glad that at least a few of the Slytherins seemed to know how to make potions. He and Blaise had just finished bottling their salves and Snape was currently sneering at their finished product.

"I expect better of my Slytherins," he had said the words softly so that only Harry and Blaise could hear before turning to yell at some other hapless first year.

Blaise and Harry could only stare at each other in disbelief; the salve had only been a slight shade darker than it should have been and was better brewed than most of the salves that had already been handed in by other Slytherins. And Harry knew that the other Slytherins hadn't earned such remarks as he and Blaise had. The Gryffindors on the other hand were having an even worse time of it. A few had already melted cauldrons, not that the Slytherin's hadn't, and Neville's cauldron was beginning to spark wildly. Even after having discussed the effects of adding the nettles to the cauldron before removing it from the fire before they began brewing the clumsy boy had committed the fatal error. The overheated cauldron exploded in a shower of sickly green liquid just as Snape finished lecturing Weasley on how abysmal his potion was. Without thinking Harry threw up a wandless barrier with his mind only to drop it just as quickly when he realized what he had done, but the shield had done its job and no one seemed injured.

But Snape was already looking around suspiciously. Exploding potions just didn't stop suddenly in the air as if hitting something before falling harmlessly to the classroom floor. Someone in his class had thrown up a shield of some sort but it hadn't been him and no first year was supposed to know such advanced magics as that much less have the ability to cast them. His gaze swept through the nervous group of Gryffindors, it didn't seem to be one of them and Gryffindors couldn't hide their emotions to save their lives. It was the complete opposite with his Slytherins. Except for a few here or there that needed a bit more practice the Slytherins all hid the emotions behind carefully cultivated masks. Yet they shouldn't have the magical reserves to cast such a spell yet and no wands were in sight anywhere in the classroom. Another pass with his eyes and Snape felt frustration build inside him.

"Get out," he demanded with a fierce growl as they scurried to comply, "class dismissed."

Damn incompetent first years, they had managed to get out of the essay he had ready to assign them and left him in an even fouler mood than he had started the day with. Snape smirked, the next class would not get off so light.

At the top of the stairs leading from the dungeons the Slytherin and Gryffindor first years separated and went their separate ways to their next class. The Gryffindors were talking loudly and trying to figure out what had just happened in the dungeons. The only one that seemed to have any idea was Hermione who was going on about shields but no one was really listening to her except Neville who was still trembling like a leaf. The Slytherins though were talking quietly and analyzing everything they had seen. In the end only one thing could be concluded and that was that Snape hadn't cast the shield, he hadn't even had a chance to go for his wand since he hadn't realized what was happening while he had been berating Weasley. Throughout all this Harry and Blaise listened in but did not contribute to the conversation, why should they when they already knew what had happened when the cauldron exploded. Breaking up into smaller groups the Slytherins made their way towards the charms class room, Theo tagging along with Harry and Blaise who were quite content to let the boy do all the talking.

By the end of the week Harry and Blaise were fed up with classes and ready for a break. Charms hadn't been all that bad and both friends found Professor Flitwick likeable enough but Trevor had already made them study the theory lessons and they soon grew bored with the practical. It was true what the professors said, if you understood the theory behind the spell the spell was easier to cast. The same proved to be true of their Transfiguration class except Harry wasn't too sure about McGonagall. Every time the strict woman looked at him there seemed to be disappointment in her eyes and it unnerved him slightly for some reason.

Then there was Herbology with the motherly Professor Sprout where all the work was hands on though sometimes tedious as they planted and replanted the same type of plants for the whole lesson, they weren't working with anything overly dangerous yet. Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Quirrell turned out to be a joke as the timid man stuttered through his lectures and Harry constantly found himself with a headache during the class that hampered his concentration, not that Quirrell ever noticed if the class was paying attention or not. In fact Professor Quirrell seemed so incompetent at times that Manuel wouldn't have even hired the man as a janitor at the amusement park.

History of Magic was equally the worst and the best. It was the worst because the ghostly Professor Binns easily put the most attentive students to sleep, and the best because they could sleep without being caught or work on other things they had to do. Once just to see what would happen Harry and Blaise ducked out of the class part way through and when Binns just kept droning on with his lessons they used the time to work on some Charms work they had been assigned for homework.

It was much more productive than falling asleep but they did almost get caught by Filch who was stalking the halls with his cat, Mrs. Norris, looking for "nosy, troublesome students doing what they aren't supposed to be doing."

Also during all this Harry and Blaise were cautiously trying to integrate themselves in with their Slytherin housemates as well as a few other students in the school from different houses. It didn't help that Harry and Blaise's cautious nature clashed with the wary feeling most of the students had for them and Harry had taken to sending mafia-style death glares at anyone who stared at him or his scar. A few times he had been tempted to punch some idiot classmates for talking openly about him right in front of his face but with Blaise there to remind him not to act out he had to be content with some mild and discreet hexes.

It was no secret that everyone had thought Harry would be in Gryffindor so the Slytherins were suspicious on the how's and why's that had Harry placed in with the Slytherin's and the rest of the school seemed afraid that the-boy-who-lived was going dark. Naturally the Gryffindors felt betrayed but that never stopped Fred and George from talking with Harry and Blaise and soon even Lee Jordan was relaxing around them enough to be friendly. So besides the Gryffindor trouble trio Harry and Blaise didn't show any overt friendship or trust to anyone, yet despite this they weren't treated as outcasts in their own house, their preference for holding themselves aloof were merely thought of as a part of their Slytherin nature.

Of course everything was made easier by Manuel and Trevor's acceptance of their Sorting. Both had agreed that Slytherin suited Harry and Blaise and they didn't hold with the notion that all Slytherins were evil, it would be rather hypocritical for Trevor to think of Slytherin's as evil after all. In Harry and Blaise's minds as long as their fathers accepted things then everyone else could go to hell, the opinions of the masses hadn't mattered to them in the muggle world and they weren't about to start letting such a thing affect them in the magical world. Besides they were too busy thinking of the pranks they could play that weekend now that they had a better idea of the way this new world they had entered worked.

* * *


	19. The Pranks Begin

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 18:_ The Pranks Begin

Saturday morning dawned and it seemed as if the whole student body was gratefully taking the chance to sleep in except for a few creatures of habit that rose in spite of themselves. And two of these early risers were currently making their cautious way from their dorms to the vast grounds surrounding the school. They still weren't quite sure if they were breaking any school rules by going out onto the grounds so early in the morning but they had been at Hogwarts for almost a week and couldn't stand to walk The Path inside stone walls for yet another morning. They longed to do it out in the open even though they would still have to hide themselves from prying eyes; they wanted the freedom that came from being out in the elements and seeing the sun rise.

Their secretive journey ended in a secluded grove of trees near the lake and joyfully the two youngsters fell into position and let the natural movements of the Path take over their body. From the beginning of The Path until the end it was almost as if they ceased to exist, or rather became part of everything surrounding them as their awareness increased through the joining of mind and body in meditation. With a faint smile touching his eyes at the end Harry turned to Blaise.

"Good morning," he murmured softy before launching out with his foot at his companion.

With the ease that comes from training with one another Harry and Blaise blocked each others attacks and countered with their own. Then with a fist, a foot, and a feint Harry had Blaise right where he wanted her. He flipped over his friend using her own body as a projection point; his hands firmly grasping her shoulders as he threw his agile body overtop her head, forcing her to bend backwards so that her feet flew out from under her as gravity betrayed her. But Harry had misjudged trying out this new move and as Blaise fell onto her back her head and arms tangled with his legs as he tried to plant his feet into a landing. Down they both went, breathing heavily, neither inclined to get up at the moment.

"Dammit Harry," Blaise finally gasped out, "next time you try some shit like that wait until Sensei is there to help you with it and don't involve me in it."

Giving a smirking grin Blaise couldn't see Harry nimbly jumped to his feet and gave a hand down to help Blaise up. It had been difficult on them not being able to practice sparring for the past week as they hadn't found a room they could safely use without getting caught that would also suit their training needs. They spent the next few minutes stretching various parts of their bodies and checking for any sore spots resulting from their screwed up falls before easing into a slow jog about the lake that would take them back up to the castle. Neither noticed the lone figure watching them from the parapets of the castle.

_Unknown POV_

While they were ensconced in the grove of trees not even the high view from the castle parapets had allowed him to spy on Harry and Blaise, but now he watched their every movement with a calculating gaze as the two youths jogged easily about the lake and used the alone time to talk where prying ears couldn't hear. Of all the students in Hogwarts these two worried him the most. Perhaps it was what was and wasn't known of their families or perhaps it was the shocking placement of the golden-boy-who-lived into Slytherin house that made it difficult to categorize these two students. Then there was their ability to seemingly cut themselves off from their surroundings and show almost no emotion at all. If you looked hard and quick enough the reactions were there, not completely hidden though time itself would take care of that, but even if you spotted the emotions you had to take the time to decipher them and had no way of knowing if the analysis was correct. They were good students as well from their performance in classes so far, they seemed to already know the first year magics at least, and it had been noted that they had yet to break any rules even inadvertently. It was surprising how much they seemed to know and how well they adapted to the wizarding world. For both were new to this world as far as he knew, their presence had never been noted in any places wizards and witches congregated and the presence of Harry Potter would have been well noted. Harry Potter and Blaise Zabini were enigmas. They would have to be watched and more known about them before any further moves were made.

_End POV_

**… … … … …**

By seven Harry and Blaise had made their way back to the dungeons and to the showers where they made it seem as if they were just preparing for the day. A few other students were beginning to join them in the various morning rituals that took place though many of their house mates didn't look to be stirring any time soon. Harry didn't see how some people could sleep past eight or even until noon, they missed the best times of the day. They missed the dawn when it seemed as if the shadowy world was being reborn of crystal dewdrops and the quiet peace of early morning. Harry finished brushing out his dark, silky hair and expertly secured the long hair back in a black band to keep it neat and out of his face. A quick look in the mirror satisfied Harry that everything was in order. His black pants weren't wrinkled and fell neatly over the tops of his soft-soled boots where a knife was hidden and the sleeves of his soft black shirt were just loose enough that he could pull his wand in a heartbeat yet they weren't so loose as to get in the way. After tucking his necklaces down the front of his shirt so they wouldn't be seen Harry smirked and left to find Blaise in order to head to breakfast, with his dark looks people would be saying he was the epitome of Slytherin.

There was the usual disturbance created by the owls flying in to deliver packages during breakfast and Harry relieved Ciara of a letter and package before feeding her some bacon and sending her off to the Owlery. Other than that breakfast passed pretty peacefully, or at least it did until near the end when the Great Hall was fuller of students all talking merrily about their first week. That's when the Duo of Mayhem struck. It was a gradual prank and most of the students remained oblivious to it until the teachers started to make some noise. Even Dumbledore looked a bit put out. The reason was noticed by the Ravenclaws first among the students, or at least the smell reached them first.

"Ugh," a cry came from the Gryffindor table next, "what is that bloody stench. Smells like it's coming from the teacher's table."

It was unmistakably the twins that had spoken up. By then the smell seemed to have permeated the rest of the room and some students were turning green and fleeing the Great Hall. The teachers were also quickly getting up but Dumbledore decided to calmly wave his wand and try to dissipate the smell instead.

Unfortunately for the teachers the pranksters had planned for someone to try and use some form of magic to get rid of the smell and had taken the time to research counter measures. The fumes from the dung bombs suddenly became visible in a riot of colors anywhere from shit brown to a sickly puke green. Frantically the teachers tried to wave the fumes away from them when they became visible but anywhere their skin touched the now apparent scent trails it was dyed that color, leaving the teacher's skins splotchy as well as emitting a faintly disgusting odor. By then almost everyone had left the hall so Harry and Blaise followed, silently slipping away as the teachers tried to get things under control. As they passed through the doors they stepped over the Weasley twins who were waiting right outside rolling on the ground, clutching their sides and howling with laughter.

"T-th-the t-t-teach-ers gg-got pra-anked," they were laughing, barely able to get the words out, "the-their s-sk-skin…D-dumb-dumble-dore…"

A few more steps down the hall Peeves was laughing just as hard in his cackling way and Harry and Blaise were just in time to see the poltergeist fall heavily out of the air and onto a suit of armor. The ancient suit of armor crashed inwards with a loud clanging sound and Peeves ended up rolling on the floor much like the twins until the armor magically repaired itself and began bludgeoning Peeves with it's club, the suit of armor standing opposite it joining in happily. For a moment Peeves kept laughing, still not having been able to regain control of himself, until one suit of armor rammed a spear through him and the other brought a club down on his head. Then the poltergeist managed to stop laughing and turned himself into his spectral form and zoomed away cursing nastily.

Harry and Blaise had almost made it to the steps that they could take to lead them to the library when angry shouts echoed from the Great Hall. It seemed Fred and George had finally been heard laughing outside the doors.

"FRED AND GEORGE WEASLEY!" McGonagall was yelling at the twins, who suddenly stopped laughing and went rigid; Snape was also standing nearby leering menacingly down upon the hapless troublemakers.

That was a position Harry and Blaise didn't want to be in. Both Heads of houses were incensed and combined with their green and brown blotched skin they looked both frightening and absolutely hilarious.

Quickly they continued on up the steps, faintly hearing as the twins' vehemently protested their innocence and swore on all they held sacred that they had not pulled the prank. When they could no longer hear anyone near them Harry turned to Blaise with a devilishly-rakish grin.

"We'll have to make it up to the twins somehow since they're taking the rap for our prank even though they were the ones dumb enough to stick around and laugh. Not that we'll tell them we were the ones that pulled the prank though since they are conveniently playing scapegoat for us. Hopefully they'll get out of it if their wands are found clean of the trigger spell."

They ran the rest of the way to the library, not even slightly winded after running up so many stairs, to pick up a potions book before heading back down to the Slytherin common room and holing up in a corner to read their letters and open the package. Quickly Harry slit open the coded letter from his father and automatically translated it as he read, Blaise reading one from her father as well.

_Dear Harry,_

_It sounds like you are getting along at school pretty well. Trevor says he is glad you aren't having trouble learning the spells and sternly warns that you had better keep up with your studies. When am I going to hear from that school that you are being a troublemaker? It only took you two weeks, not counting the Chauvez incident, when we enrolled you in public school and that was without the use of magic. Things are quiet here so far. Among the men there is no suspicion that you are anywhere but a boarding school in __France__ and among our known enemies there is no knowledge that you are anywhere but home. I dislike being so far from you if you should need help. Take care of yourself and Blaise and make sure to have at least one other weapon on you besides your wand. Though I would prefer for you to be fully outfitted I know it might be hard to be so at school. I miss you Harry._

_Love Dad._

Harry gave a soft smile that was quickly gone from his face just as immediately as it had come. He missed his father as well though it would have been much worse had Blaise not come to Hogwarts with him. He also knew that no matter how far away he was from his dad that if he needed help Manuel would find someway to get to him. It was part of the laws of a father's love. Trevor was the same way with Blaise. It was enough to make any child feel secure and safe. Tucking the letter away in his pocket Harry and Blaise turned to the package and eagerly slit the tape that had been used to close it. On top was a simple message scrawled in Manuel's handwriting: _If you get caught I had nothing to do with this! Trevor charmed the package but he doesn't know what is going in it._

Inside laid every pranksters dream kit to the perfect Halloween night. Yet the best was hidden near the bottom with another note: _New toy from the labs. Tiny charges, not enough to do much damage but enough for a shock. Problems: too small for a decent fuse but magic can probably circumvent that._ Carefully taking out the packets Harry and Blaise surveyed the tiny, silver paper wrapped pellets and grins crossed their faces. This was going to be much better than any elementary school prank they had pulled and the year had only just begun.

* * *


	20. Memories and Meetings

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 19:_ Memories and Meetings

Harry and Blaise spent the rest of the weekend slipping unobtrusively through the old castle and avoiding as many people as they could, especially Theo. It wasn't their style to hide or run from problems but they couldn't afford a confrontation yet. Harry knew he had told Blaise to be cautious about a friendship with the slightly younger Slytherin but to go ahead, now he was beginning to regret it. The boy tried to cleave to them too much and was full of questions that they didn't want to answer. It was almost as if the boy had been instructed to find out as much about them as possible but Harry wasn't quite sure who. It could have been a teacher, the headmaster, or even some of their fellow Slytherins. It didn't really matter who though, the boy was getting annoying. Almost as bad as Ronald Weasley. If the youngest Weasley male had actually had guts instead of making idle and completely unstable threats he might have been a worthy opponent and belonged to Slytherin. In the end Harry finally had to tell Theo in no uncertain terms to back down and he had acquiesced. They still talked occasionally but Theo had given up on his prying, understanding that it was for his own good.

Yet all in all the avoidance technique did do them some good while they had employed it. They learned their way around the castle better than most first years and found a few passageways that would greatly cut down on the time it took them to reach some of their classes. The most profitable part of their wanderings turned out to include a run in with Peeves who was still being pettish over his encounter with the suits of armor.

Upon sighting them the mischievous poltergeist immediately launched into a singsong tune of, "Scarhead! Scarhead! Scary-scar-e, scarhead…" while trying to pelt them with a handful of stones he had.

"Shut it Peeves," Harry finally snapped at the annoying little man, "the Bloody Baron is around."

Peeves flipped himself upside down and blew raspberries at Harry.

With an irritable sigh Harry tossed a few of the spare dung bombs from their breakfast prank at the poltergeist, "here, go cause trouble with these somewhere else but don't you dare say where you got them or you won't get any more."

An unholy light lit itself in the eyes of Peeves and with a gleeful cackle and a nod the irritant flew through the wall and in the general direction of Filch's office.

At Blaise's urging Harry headed back to the dungeons with her. Unlike most students they felt comfortable in the dungeons and it was one of the areas they had explored the most so far. It was a veritable maze of rooms and passageways that one could head down into and disappear without a trace, easily allowing a person to lose any pursuer they might have picked up. It reminded them a bit of the tunnels winding under the Darkov mansion that were to be used in extreme emergencies and as escape routes. Harry shivered and remembered how just about a year ago they had been made to use the tunnels for the first time, never had the safety of their home been so threatened as it had been that night.

_Flashback_

_Something was wrong. Harry knew it. Something had woken him and he had realized that the house had never seemed so still and silent before even though all occupants of the house were stealthy in their movements even when just walking around in the open. His fears had escalated when his father had burst into the room with five other fully armed guards and Trevor who was frantically clutching Blaise in his arms. This was no ordinary attack where Harry would be told to stay put and be ready to fight should an assailant somehow make it to the upper levels and into his room. _

_"The basements tunnels," even Manuel's voice had sounded odd and Harry had moved quickly to obey. _

_But Harry either hadn't been moving quickly enough or Manuel was afraid that it would be the last time he would get to hold him. His father had scooped him into his strong, sheltering arms and ran as if the legions of hell were breathing flames upon their heels. _

_Manuel, Trevor, and the guards who were protectively flanking them had expertly maneuvered the escape routes and Harry found himself reciting the turns from memory. It was only after the third right turn in the tunnels that he realized where they were going and he stiffened in his father's arms. They had practiced such drills before but never this one. This one had only ever been mentioned in passing along with the directions. They were heading for the Hole. Blaise whimpered and Harry realized she had understood where they were going as well. Reaching a section of the uniform wall that could only be found by counting your steps Manuel knocked in a few bricks and pressed a trigger on the inside of the wall causing the section to swing open and reveal a blackened space behind. Two blankets, four bottles of water, some crackers, and a flashlight were all that was in that little space. Manuel had hugged him fiercely and settled him in the Hole beside Blaise. _

_"Three hours," Manuel had told them sternly, "three hours and then you flee through to the end and barricade yourselves in the safe-house. Only move before then if things get too dangerous to stay here, and no matter what don't look back. Someone will come for you when it's safe and give the signal, don't let them in otherwise." _

_The wall swung closed and one of the guards replaced the few bricks that had been knocked out to make it seem as if there was nothing out of the ordinary with that section of wall. Harry's last view of his father through that opening had been of Manuel arming his gun as Blaise choked back her cries for her father next to him. They had huddled together under the blankets for both warmth and comfort, not knowing that the safe haven of their home had become a warring ground of two powerful Mafia's._

_End Flashback_

Beside Harry, Blaise was having similar thoughts. They had grown up together and went through many of the same things so that some situations triggered identical thoughts in the both of them. Yet that one horrifying memory was most often blotted out by the fonder memories they had of scampering through the tunnels, avoiding their fathers as a simple game of hide and seek was turned into a lesson the two children hadn't known they were learning. There were many things they had learned under the guise of childhood games only to recognize it as training later on. It was something they enjoyed and wouldn't give up for anything. It also made tedious but necessary training more interesting and they tended to never forget those lessons compared to some others that were merely told to them. One lesson they always forgot was the stern lecture on how immature pranks were. But then Manuel tended to counteract Trevor's anti-prankster lessons by giving them new ideas and new products from the lab to use. For a Mafia King Manuel sometimes seemed to be an immature kid trapped in an adult's body. Harry wouldn't have it any other way.

**… … … … …**

Meanwhile the teachers weren't having nearly as much fun in the first official staff meeting of the year. Albus was sitting there just as jovial as usual, forcing tea on them all and trying to futilely hand out his beloved muggle lemon drops. Snape sneered and once again declined an offer of the sweet and wished there was somewhere he could dump out the third cup of tea the headmaster had just pressed upon him.

"Can we get on with this Albus," he dared speak up knowing the others wouldn't out of deference to the old man, "I have an important potion brewing that I do not wish to leave unattended for too long a time."

"Very well Severus," Albus answered with his eyes twinkling madly in that infuriating way as if knowing there wasn't really a potion brewing, "we will begin. Does anyone have anything to say before we go about the usual routine?"

At the various negative nods and murmurs of 'no' Albus continued.

"Then it will please you all to know that the Weasley twins have been found innocent of the prank played during breakfast, the only crime they have committed is one of indulging openly in their mirth, not that such a thing constitutes a crime."

McGonagall gave a small groan, "that means we have some anonymous pranksters on our hands capable of pulling things off Weasley style."

Severus bit back a retort and resisted the urge to roll his eyes skyward; it was going to be an even longer year than he had thought. If Albus thought that such news would please them he didn't want to know what the man considered unpleasant news.

The meeting continued on with them addressing the usual concerns and planning various activities. Hogsmead weekends were planned out as well as Quidditch matches. Flying lessons were also planned for the first years and Severus wanted to strangle Albus for putting his Slytherins with the Gryffindors. Didn't the old coot understand yet that the two houses loathed each other and didn't even want to attempt to get along? The worst thing though was pairing the two houses in Potions. He had to constantly breathe down the student's necks while hoping to prevent sabotage attempts on some of the extremely volatile concoctions they brewed. Any event that had Slytherins and Gryffindors in the same room or Merlin forbid, paired together for work, was bound to land students in the hospital wing with a variety of ailments and injuries both magical and physical. Not that he didn't purposely pair the two houses together in class for just that reason on some of the days he was feeling slightly more sadistic than usual.

Finally to every professor's relief Albus came to the final point he wanted to discuss during the staff meeting. They had just finished talking about the adjustment and performance of the new first years when Dumbledore singled out two that had been preying on his mind the most.

"We also need to discuss two of our first years a bit more in depth; Harry Potter and indirectly the influence of his friend Blaise Zabini. Minerva?"

"There isn't a whole lot to say about them. Both are quiet students and seem to ignore most of the house rivalries when they do speak with others though there seems to be some contention between them and Ronald Weasley. They are adept at magic and I cannot find fault in their work, they do not goof off in my class but take their learning seriously."

So it went around the room, none of the professors had anything they could really fault the two children on.

Filch was the exception and he merely muttered about, "nasty little children being all the same. Trouble."

Severus merely sat back and processed what he was hearing from his colleagues while his quick mind went over what he was going to say.

"Severus?" Albus had finally singled him out, saving him for last as he was their head of house.

"I must agree with most of the assessments made already. They are quiet in class and get their work done even if they could use a little work on their brewing," everyone smiled covertly at Severus' way of saying they weren't complete dunderheads, "They don't seem to pay attention to house rivalries but they don't go around trying to make friends. They keep their emotions in check as is common for my Slytherins. Neither child has come to me for any problems as of yet."

Here Severus paused as if he was merely thinking but inside a fierce debate was waging. Finally Slytherin nature won out.

"Other than both Mr. Potter and Ms. Zabini being among the first students to breakfast and therefore early risers I cannot think of anything else to currently add."

Sighing Albus learned back in his chair after he had dismissed the meeting only to realize that Severus was still in the room.

"What can I help you with Severus?" The omnipresent twinkle was coming on in full force.

"I didn't want to bring this up in the meeting Headmaster since we had not had a chance to previously discuss it but in my first year Slytherin/Gryffindor potions class the other day something unusual happened."

Severus went on to describe the explosion of Neville Longbottom's cauldron and how the caustic potion had seemed to hit an unseen barrier in the air before falling harmlessly to the stone floor, none of the students getting doused with the potion that surely would have sent many to the hospital wing with painful injuries.

Albus mused over this information a bit, "from what you say we cannot conclude if it was desperate accidental magic or a more controlled magic. You did not see any student with a wand out and such a thing would be very advanced for a first year. It will take some watching to figure out who but I must say that it appears that there is power amongst the first years and we need to find out who possess it."

Severus left the room quickly after that not wanting to hear anymore of the Headmasters talks of power. He had a very sharp suspicion of who wielded the power and knew the Headmaster held the same idea. He knew which student or students would be watched more closely. He had basically sealed the boy's fate by uttering that it had happened during the lesson with the Slytherin and Gryffindor first years. He could only be glad that he had not revealed all his observations on his student during the staff meeting or to Albus afterwards. The child may be the son of the Potter that had made his life hell during their school years but the boy was a Slytherin and he was very protective and possessive of his Slytherins. No one messed with them without going through him first. This would take cunning and secrecy but he would do his best to shield his students from outside manipulations. Not that they would be needing as much help as most of his Slytherins from what he had observed so far. Severus was starting to revise his opinions a bit; after all no true Potter would be caught dead in Slytherin. It was time to find out more about the boy currently in his care.

* * *


	21. Flight and Fight

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 20:_ Flight and Fight

Classes started again on Monday much to the chagrin of Harry and Blaise. They had been having fun exploring the old castle and some of the grounds. In the castle things were always changing and one day they would discover a new room only to be unable to find it the next, or a passage would lead them to a totally different location then it had minutes before. They could still explore during the week of course but classes, meals, and homework would cut sharply into that time. One thing that had raised the hope in both of them had been the sight of stables on the far side of the castle near the edge of the Forbidden Forest where no one seemed to go. Harry missed riding Azrael something fierce and would love to at least have somewhere to go to be near horses if he could. Their joy at the discovery of the stables had been short lived though, there were no horses there and it seemed that only magic kept the stables in such pristine conditions. No one had set foot in the abandoned building in quite a while. So they had planned on ways to sneak into the Forbidden Forest to explore a bit, only they now had to figure out how to do it without alerting Hagrid who had started to keep a sharp eye on them along with the Weasley twins when they got too near the tree line. Not that slipping past Hagrid would be a whole lot of trouble, but Fang could scent them and never hesitated to pounce playfully on them and slobber all over their robes.

So it was that on Wednesday the Slytherin and Gryffindor first years found themselves trooping down onto the vast grounds for their first flying lesson ever. Many of the pureblooded or halfblooded students were boasting about their skills with a broom and all sorts of adventures they had found themselves in while flying.

It began to get sickening after a while and a few stopped their telling of tales after Harry said loudly enough for everyone to hear, "I doubt half of these stories are true but I guess we'll find out the liars in a few minutes when we have the lesson."

Weasley glared at the smirking Mafia Prince while Draco gave a small smug laugh calling, "looks like you were shown your place Weasel."

"That's enough Mr. Malfoy," Madam Hooch snapped as she came striding towards them, "everyone beside a broomstick. Now put your right hand out over your broom and say 'Up!'"

Naturally the air was soon filled with the yells of frustrated students trying to get their brooms to obey. Those who had spoken with clear confidence though were already holding their brooms and having Madam Hooch inspect their grips. Finally they were all allowed to mount up after being shown how to do so properly and not slide off the end to land on their asses like untrained novices.

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch.

"Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle—three—two—"

Neville took off in a panicked rush not to be the last one left on the ground. His hands were practically white from clutching the vibrating broom as it rose higher and higher before shooting straight off towards the castle wall at a speed the old broom shouldn't have been capable of. With a sickening thud that sounded like wet meat hitting a rough surface really hard Neville rammed into the castle wall, fell off the splintering broomstick to smack into the ground with a crunch, and lay deathly still upon the grass.

"Broken bones," Harry whispered to Blaise, "an arm most likely."

Blaise nodded, remembering when they had heard a similar sound. It had been the one man left alive from the attack on the amusement park. He had been gagged so his screams could not be heard through the rest of the house, but standing right outside the door where no one could see them had been Harry and Blaise. They had heard the crack of bone as various limbs were pushed to the breaking point and beyond. The unfortunate man had finally given in and started to spill the information he knew as the Daggers had started sectioning off his arm and cracking each bone one at a time, allowing the broken shards to grind painfully against each other for added effect. Harry and Blaise had fled not wanting to hear as the man broke from the torture placed upon him.

"Broken wrist," they heard Madam Hooch mutter as she helped Neville up before giving a piercing glare to the rest of the class. "None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.'"

**… … … … …**

Severus Snape strode quickly onto the school grounds towards where the flying lessons for Gryffindor and Slytherin first years were being held.

"Idiot woman," he muttered, "leaving them unattended like that. They're Slytherins and bloody Gryffindors for Merlin's sake. No one in their right mind leaves that group alone together."

And naturally the potions professor was right for as the class came into view he saw Draco Malfoy dart forward and pick up a shining sphere from the grass.

"It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."

"Give it here Malfoy," Weasley shouted, his face turning red enough to rival his hair.

Severus could have easily hexed Hooch as Draco's face lit up with the patented Malfoy smirk and the blonde boy hopped onto his broom.

"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find—how about—up a tree?"

Severus continued to watch as Draco flew up into the air and Weasley foolishly followed in an attempt to flaunt his Gryffindor bravery. He continued to wait until Draco grew tired of the brief game as Weasley clumsily flew around trying to catch him and launched the sphere through the air so that it landed in the trees. Landing with grace Draco hopped off the broom and Severus saw his chance to reveal himself.

Striding the rest of the way to the waiting students who had been yelling various things throughout the aerial exchange he barked out sharply, "Weasley! Get down here this instant!"

Shaking and pale Ron Weasley did as commanded, all thoughts of the rememberall gone as he tried to protest his innocence in the matter, his house mates backing him up.

Severus sneered down on the boy, "Fifty points from Gryffindor, a weeks detention with Filch, and a visit to the Headmaster is in order. Madam Hooch informed me that she distinctively said that no student was to be on a broom without her presence; you have disobeyed."

Severus began marching the even paler Weasley towards the castle, ignoring his stuttering of, "but Malfoy—," when a summoning spell caught his attention.

"Honestly," he heard the distinctive voice of Harry Potter, "you would think that Weasley didn't know that there was magic that could be used to get this. Make sure Neville gets this back."

A heavy accented Irish voice answered Harry and Severus had to repress a slight upturning of his lips towards a smile, it wouldn't do to reveal to anyone that Hogwart's potions master could be nice and had a sense of humor. It seemed that Potter had the attitude and thoughts of a Slytherin, but he also had a sense of decorum, or perhaps nobility, that most other Slytherins lacked.

Severus sneered down at Weasley, pleased at the chance to intimidate and belittle the Gryffindor further, "come along Mr. Weasley."

**… … … … …**

To the dismay of the Slytherins Ron Weasley did not get expelled or even suspended though his detentions with Filch remained. The greatest laugh though came when Weasley foolishly challenged Draco Malfoy to a wizards duel to regain his honor. Draco went through the motions and accepted the challenge but wisely the blonde Slytherin did not swear to his acceptance by an oath made by his blood, magic, or name. As well there were no witnesses besides the chosen seconds so no oaths were broken when the blonde Slytherin decided not to show up and tipped off Filch instead. The next morning Draco was a bit put out at breakfast to see that Weasley had not been caught in his nighttime wanderings though the red-head looked tired and pale. Harry and Blaise found out later that day why the boy had a frightened look deep in his eyes.

"—keep such a thing locked up in a school. The bloody thing could have ripped me in half."

"Ron," Dean snapped, "you weren't the only one there; it could have gotten us too. And the Headmaster told us that corridor was off limits—"

The voices trailed off as the Gryffindors moved on and Harry looked at Blaise. They had been quite interested by the mention of the forbidden corridor. If you tell a Darkov or Zabini not to go somewhere they will eventually end up there. This overhead conversation only piqued their interest more and not even the mentions the Headmaster made of death would keep them away now. It was about time they broke a few rules.

"Bloody fucking hell," Harry swore after performing a simple _alohomora_ and opening the door to the forbidden corridor.

Before them stood one mean, drooling, three-headed dog that looked as if it really needed some exercise. Their quick eyes quickly scanned the room and saw nothing visible that it could have been guarding so they looked for the next obvious thing and found the trap door under the dog's paws. Nodding to one another they slowly backed up, they didn't want to test their weapons or their wands on that thing and didn't think their fathers would be too happy if they died a young and painful death for acting foolishly. The door closed and with a flick of Blaise's wand the door was once again locked.

"Want to explore some more," Harry asked as they turned away.

Blaise shrugged, "might as well. Too much adrenaline to sleep, unless you want to fight it off?"

**… … … … …**

Severus groaned as a section of wall in his quarter's glowed red and a small alarm went off. The wall flashed twice and went still before flashing twice again. He had two students out of bed. He also highly doubted it was one of the older years, most of them had already realized that he knew when they left the Slytherin dorms. No, these were probably first years and he had a very good guess as to who it could be. It was unlikely that it was two from the girls dorms, their minds just didn't work that way. They'd be talking about makeup if they were awake, not sneaking out, and Crabbe and Goyle would never think of doing something without Draco telling them to. And it wasn't Draco either, he had different warnings set up for the Malfoy heir as he was most likely to be a rallying point for Slytherin because of his family's position. That left the most likely duo of Zabini and Potter; he would need to set up specific wards for them as well it appeared. Laying his book of potions down he swept out of his personal chambers and began to walk the halls of Hogwarts after tracing his wards to learn that they had already left the dungeons.

It was in the left hand side of the third floor corridor that Severus finally found them. They moved gracefully up and down the hall as they fought each other. For a moment he considered breaking the fight up but he recognized it as a training exercise and decided to take the chance to study them. He had once done similar things when the Dark Lord had been at the height of his power and he had been working as a spy for Dumbledore. He had learned early on in the service of the Death Eaters that you could not rely solely on a wand. Watching Potter and Zabini made him aware that he had neglected his training since the Dark Lord's defeat and knew that these children could probably beat him in a hand to hand fight if it came down to that. He studied their moves as Zabini flipped in the air only to have her feet swept out from under her the moment she landed and Potter ended the match by lightly placing his foot at her throat. Zabini conceded, accepted Potter's hand up, and the duo left the hall to head in a direction that would take them back to the dungeons near the common room.

Pensively Severus moved from the shadows and without conscious thought began to move through a basic self-defense routine. After a few minutes he had to stop and relax his body, he was stiff and not in the right condition to do any more than what he had already done. His muscles were already protesting the now unfamiliar routine and he knew that he would feel the effects in the morning unless he took a potion. Silently he made his way back toward his chambers, his robes not flowing out behind him as they usually did. He did not notice the silent figures that had taken up occupancy in the very shadows he had used to watch them from. They had decided to return the favor of being spied on and now they were glad they had realized someone was watching them. They didn't know to what use they could put their head of house's actions quite yet, but they would worry about that in the morning and discuss it during their run.

* * *


	22. Halloween Fright

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 21:_ Halloween Fright

Friday started out normally for the duo as Harry and Blaise followed their usual morning routine only to find it slightly disrupted when they went to go for their jog about the lake. On the far side of the lake they could see someone already jogging and even though they were too far away for Harry and Blaise to identify it made them a bit uneasy, no one else was ever out at this time in the morning. Also, the person would have had to pass right by the grove where they had been following The Path and doing their training on the way to the lake. They had been using their knives in training today and while being out on the grounds so early might not be against Hogwarts rules they didn't know what would happen if they were found to have blades in their possession. Exchanging glances and making sure their daggers were tucked out of sight Harry and Blaise decided to continue with their jog. They didn't want to seem suspicious and if they continued on as they normally did there was a chance they could catch up and find out who their morning companion was.

They kept their pace even and at a comfortable speed for both of them even though they were tempted to run fast enough so that they would catch up with the person that could possibly be a threat to their morning activities. Yet as they continued with their steady jog it became obvious that this person obviously wasn't in as good of shape as they were for partway through their second and final lap, it was a damn big lake after all, they got close enough to identify the person.

"Professor Snape," Blaise almost choked on the words and Harry was almost as shocked.

If they had not seen what they had the night before they would not believe that their dress-in-billowy-robes-to-frighten-the-students potions master would be dressed in simple dark pants and a dark grey shirt for an early morning jog.

Ending their jog with a set of quick stretches Harry and Blaise made their way back to the Slytherin dorms, returning the nod their head of house sent to them when their paths crossed. They were a bit wary of this transaction, after all professor Snape hadn't tried to speak to them about their presence on the grounds that morning or mention what he had seen the night before. In fact he hadn't said a word to them at all, he hadn't tossed out any of the veiled comments he seemed to keep on hand specifically for them.

Parting ways in the common room Blaise couldn't help but say, "it almost makes me feel bad about what we're going to do later. Almost."

After breakfast they traced the now familiar route to the dungeons and entered the potions classroom. Except for the first day the classroom had been open and they were expected to be inside before professor Snape came in at the start of class though no one ever went in until a minute or two before class time. None of the students ever seemed to want to be the first to enter the classroom; it must have had something to do with the nastily fascinating objects floating in jars around the room. This was perfect for Harry and Blaise though. They had managed to come across a bottle of prankster's glue that blended into whatever surface it was put on and claimed to be undetectable. It also helped their cause that the Gryffindors always sat in the same seats on the same side of the classroom and the Slytherins did the same thing on their chosen side. Quickly smearing glue across six seats the newest prankster duo of Hogwarts watched in satisfaction as it blended seamlessly in with the surface of the stools so that you couldn't tell that there was anything wrong with them. Next they sprinkled a few of the explosive pellets across each seat with the glue. They had bribed an older Slytherin that didn't take sides with any of the factions within their house to charm them so that when the pellets heated up the mini explosion would be triggered. Smirking the two slipped out of the classroom only to head back in a few minutes later with the rest of their classmates, the professor right behind them.

It wasn't until they were halfway done with the simple fever reducing potion that Harry started wondering if the prank was ever going to work, it also appeared as if nothing was going to go right or be normal that day. First professor Snape had actually given them encouraging remarks on their potion as he did to the other Slytherins and now the prank looked as if part of it would fail. It wouldn't be a complete and total let down since six students would still be glued to their stools but it would be anticlimactic for himself and Blaise when certain results weren't produced. Ten minutes later and Harry no longer had to worry. Crabbe and Goyle began yelling and tried to jump off their stools as tiny _sizzle-spark_ sounds began to be heard. With a small pop and a cry from the two thuggish goons they finally managed to separate themselves from their stools but at the price of their robes. Meanwhile the other four victims had just succumbed to the prank.

Pansy, Dean, Seamus, and Ron made up an interesting chorus as they tried to hop around the dungeon, stool legs knocking into cauldrons and spilling partly completed potions everywhere to cause a major disaster. Blaise managed to grab their potions out of harms way just as Pansy leapt past their table shrieking. But the best part of course came when the popping sounds came again and the stools clattered to the floor. This was better than Harry and Blaise had ever anticipated. Ron Weasley hadn't been wearing any pants under his robes, revealing his teddy bear covered boxers to the class. For a moment all was silent and then the snickering began. Ron looked horrified and with a red face that was brighter than his hair he fled the room.

Somehow Severus restored order to the classroom and managed to get the class out of the room without them coming in contact with the potions quickly spreading theirs way across the cracks in the dungeon floor. With a few quick waves of his wand he scoured the potion out of the cauldrons that were still upright before they reacted. The mess on the floor was harder to deal with but he didn't dare trust the house-elves to deal with what could possibly be volatile mixtures. Sitting behind his desk with a heavy sigh he gave into a small chuckled. The prank would have been funny if the students at the butt of the joke hadn't panicked and knocked over some of the cauldrons. The best part of it all was that now he would have enough snide remarks to make to Weasley for a few weeks to come.

Which reminded him—"twenty points from Gryffindor, Weasley."

"Oh," Blaise half-laughed, half-groaned once she and Harry were alone, "that was hilarious seeing them go around like that. I hadn't expected their robes to rip like that though, that was a bonus, but I never want to see Weasley's underwear ever again."

"Just wait until lunch," Harry smirked, "the whole school will know by then."

Ron was in a foul mood for the next few days and on Halloween it seemed that Snape was being even more vindictive in his taunting of Weasley though how Ron recognized half the insults directed towards him was beyond Harry. Perhaps it was the tone their professor used or perhaps Weasley had come to accept that anything directed from Snape towards himself would be negative and demeaning. So it was with puzzled looks that Harry and Blaise contemplated what could have cheered Weasley up so that he was practically strutting around. It wasn't till near the start of the Halloween feast that they heard Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil gossiping.

"She was crying up a storm—won't come out at all."

"Poor dear, her face is probably all splotchy but Ron was right, she can be a bit of a know-it-all and no one really talks to her."

Blaise shook her head.

"Pansy was saying something about Hermione Granger running through the halls all upset earlier. Figures Weasley would get his balls off of making someone else feel belittled and upset."

Harry's fist clenched for a moment, he hated guys who bullied girls for kicks, every single one of them seemed to remind him of Chris Chauvez. Harry shook his head and forced himself to relax; he didn't need to go socking Weasley one and getting a letter sent home to his dad. Harry had come to realize that it wasn't really the fighting that his father frowned down upon, but the fighting with those that didn't have the same training as he had and therefore didn't really stand a chance against him was what Manuel disapproved of.

"It's none of our business though, she'll have to work this out herself and her housemates and head of house should be watching out for her," Harry told Blaise, "Gryffindors really need to adopt some of Slytherins attitudes in that regard."

Harry and Blaise continued on to the Great Hall for the feast. The hall was decked out with live bats fluttering wildly among floating jack-o-lanterns and skeletons that were dancing overhead. Eventually they joined in with those around them as they discussed classes and hobbies. Mainly most of the talk focused around Quidditch though and the first game of the season that was the highly anticipated Slytherin vs. Gryffindor match. The Slytherin team was fiercely determined to keep the Quidditch cup sitting in their common room for another year, no matter what. Then two things happened at once to disrupt the meal. Well one thing for Harry and Blaise and the other for the whole school.

Ciara came sailing quickly through the hall though it wasn't time for mail and dropped a letter into Harry's waiting hands as Professor Quirrell came stumbling into the hall in a terrified panic shouting, "Troll—in the dungeons—thought you ought to know."

Then the one teacher in the school that was supposed to be teaching them to defend themselves against creatures like trolls fainted.

Some of the weaker Hufflepuffs screamed and began to quake, the Ravenclaws were scared but huddled together discussing useful spells they could use to defend themselves, a few Slytherins panicked but most stayed outwardly calm, and the Gryffindors who did not wish to be outdone began to yell loudly thus adding to the confusion.

"Silence," Dumbledore called out over the uproar as he shot off sparks and bangs from his wand, "Prefects, lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately. Professors come with me."

It also seemed that the Headmaster forgot one of the most important things, the Slytherin dormitories were in the dungeons and to head there could possibly be taking them straight into the troll's path. But their head of house hadn't forgotten and stopped some of the students who hadn't yet realized that fact.

"Head along the back corridor," Snape instructed the Prefects, "stick together and make your way through to the alternate entrance to the common room. You shouldn't run into the troll that way. The painting is of Lady Alyssa hanging from the gallows, password is 'mistrial.'"

With a curt nod Snape swept off to join the rest of the teachers combing the dungeons, deliberately ignoring the contemptuous kicks some of his Slytherins were giving their unconscious and incompetent defense teacher.

Harry and Blaise followed along near the end of the line till they came to an intersecting corridor where Harry jerked Blaise aside and pulled the letter out that he had hastily stuck in his pocket once the panic began.

"Something's up," he said worriedly, "Trevor wouldn't send Ciara to us at this time of night and normally she would wait till breakfast tomorrow to give us the letter with the rest of the mail owls."

Blaise nodded apprehensively, "I know. I recognized dad's handwriting. What's—"

She broke off and started again, "did you hear that?"

Together they wheeled around and put their backs to the wall, using what little cover the shadows afforded them to hide. A horrible stench was filling their nose, even worse than the dung bombs they had used on the teachers.

"Troll!"

Pulling their wands they tried casting _Stupefy_ hexes on the slowly lumbering creature but they only bounced off the troll's thick hide and seemed to only mildly irritate the thing. Neither Harry or Blaise thought to run though it had been part of their training to fall back when things got out of hand, but they hadn't tried all their options yet. Holstering their wands both mafia raised brats fell back into a more comfortable form of offense and drew their guns. Harry's first shot echoed loudly through the darkened halls, and though it pierced the trolls flesh where their spells didn't he cursed himself for not flipping on the specialized silencer that the lab had added to their guns. Remedying the fact he and Blaise fired off a few quick rounds, aiming at the creatures head and causing it to roar in pain when a bullet or two pierced through its eyes.

Shouts from down the hall alerted Harry and Blaise that the teachers were nearby and coming for the troll or to investigate the sound of the first shot. Quickly squeezing off a few more bullets to stall the troll for a few moments so that it wasn't right behind them Harry and Blaise took off and ran down the halls after their housemates. They only managed to catch up with them right at the portrait of Lady Alyssa and slip through before the Prefects shut the entrance. The whole encounter with the troll had only taken a few moments though for Harry and Blaise time had seemed to slow and stretch before speeding up rapidly. Making sure their guns were tucked away the duo sat down in a corner to wait for their head of house to show up.

_-Hermione's POV-_

_She had sat huddled behind a statue the whole time. She had just come out of the bathroom and was wiping her red and puffy eyes when Harry Potter and Blaise Zabini had shown up in the hallway. Not wanting to be seen she had ducked behind a statue and whatever they were doing had them so engrossed they didn't notice her. Then the troll had shown up. She had watched as they futilely sent spells at it but by then she had been too terrified to move. Then they had started shooting at the troll! Not with spells but with guns and bullets. The noise drew the teacher's attention and they were suddenly dealing with the already toppling troll, hexing it with powerful spells till it lay still on the floor though the fact that its chest no longer rose and fell attested to the fact that it was dead. _

_The teachers had examined it then, taking in the holes riddling the trolls face and the ruptured gooey mess that were once eyes. They were wondering what had done such a thing. Hermione wanted to jump out and scream at them that it had been Potter and Zabini and they had guns but she was too scared. She didn't want to rat them out and have them discover that she was the one that told on them. Or even worse, she could possibly get expelled for being there. No, she would stay quiet and forget that this had ever happened. At last the teachers pulled away and a few levitated the troll away to dispose of it somehow. _

_"I'm going to check on my students," Professor Snape had announced before sweeping away, his billowing robes swishing lightly against her hiding spot and making her cringe back. _

_The other heads of houses concurred and Hermione nearly cried. Professor McGonagall would surely make it to __Gryffindor__Tower__ before her and she would get in trouble for not being there. But luck was on her side. _

_"One moment Minerva," the Headmaster had said, "I need to speak to you in my office before you check on the Gryffindors." _

_She had been left alone then and had wasted no time slipping up to __Gryffindor__Tower__, no one noticing her late entrance as she scurried up to her bed. She only wanted to forget what she had seen and go back to being the naïve bookworm everyone thought her to be._

_-End POV-_

Snape finally showed up in the common room and after checking to make sure that none of the Slytherins had strayed informed them that the troll had been subdued by the teachers and taken away to be dealt with. He didn't say anything about unusual wounds on the troll which brought Harry and Blaise some relief, but they were still going to tread carefully. Shooting a troll with muggle weapons was probably a sure way to get expelled and they were glad that there had been no witnesses present. At last everyone began to retire and Harry and Blaise moved to huddle near the fire so that they could read the letter Trevor had sent. It turned out to be more like a frantic note.

_H & B—Code Black, sever contact, we'll initiate in two weeks. Ordering Pizza.—T & M_

It was unmistakably Trevor's handwriting and the small sigil beneath the words confirmed that the note was genuine and not forced. Either something had happened that forced them to go into hiding or they were involved in some deadly scheme that they were seeing to personally. At least they knew where to find them if it became necessary. Blaise looked up and filled her voice with anger to hide the worry shining from her eyes, a look Harry knew he reciprocated.

"What the hell are they doing in New York?"

* * *


	23. Opening Up

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 22:_ Opening Up

The chill of late November brought a new excitement to the air as the Quidditch season had officially started. Only a few people seemed immune. Severus himself showed no outward love of the sport even though he made sure to rub it in Minerva's face about how the Gryffindor team could never win without a decent seeker. Yet that wasn't what was bothering him. It was two of his students, two of his Slytherins. Something seemed to be very wrong and yet they hadn't come to him for help. True, in the beginning he hadn't been making any effort to give them a reason to trust him but he had been trying lately.

He was also ashamed that he hadn't notice the signs right away, he was supposed to protect his Slytherins and help them when they were in need. With these two he seemed to have failed miserably. Harry and Blaise usually held themselves slightly aloof from others, something that wasn't all that unusual among the Slytherins, but gradually he had noticed that they were becoming even more reclusive. It had really hit home that something was wrong with them as he watched over them during the Quidditch game. It had to have been the first time they had ever watched the amazing and fast paced sport, but they hadn't seemed to take any of it in. Instead that had sat with their heads bowed close together, occasionally exchanging a few words and making discreet gestures that would have went unnoticed by most.

Thinking back on it Severus realized that the signs had been adding up ever since the beginning of the month. Their quality of class work had remained the same but it was as if they were doing things absently. Watching them train had also been different. Their sparring matches had almost seemed—fiercer somehow, as if they were trying to fight to forget or ignore something. Their jogs had also grown longer as they tried to push themselves to limits even he could tell were beyond their reach. If he hadn't been watching over them and made it a priority to try and understand them he would have never noticed anything that went beyond their well-cultivated masks. It was time for him to act like the head of house the rest of the Slytherins knew him to be and get himself involved in the affairs of his two most enigmatic students.

**… … … … …**

The Quidditch match was over and Slytherin had won but neither Harry nor Blaise really cared at this moment. They were too worried about their fathers and both were ready to come up with some half-cocked scheme and go find them, consequences be damned. The two weeks had passed and no mail had come from Trevor or Manuel, but they hadn't panicked right away. They knew that things didn't always go according to plan and had given it a few more days, but still no mail had arrived from their dads. Now three—almost four—weeks had passed and there still was no word, a thing that was worrying the two to no end. When their fathers said they would contact them in two weeks they did, give or take a few days. The worse thing for Harry and Blaise was that they had no way of contacting anyone back home and the guards had no way of contacting them. None of the other guards knew anything of the wizarding world to their knowledge and there were no telephones in Hogwarts, no electricity whatsoever. Suddenly Blaise spoke up voicing a thought that Harry hadn't wanted to acknowledge that he had also been dwelling on.

"What if there is no one left? What if we have no home and no fathers left to go home to?"

"Stop it!" Harry whirled on Blaise, fear and anger lending a harsh edge to his tone as he tried to suppress his own vivid imagination, "don't even think that! Don't say it! Nothing has happened to them, they're better than that, they just lost track of time or Trevor can't find his owl so he can't send mail since Ciara is here with us…"

Harry couldn't go on and gazed downcast at the ground while pulling Blaise into a comforting hug, ashamed of his fearful outburst that had only succeeded in scaring both of them even more.

"I'm sorry Blaise, I just feel so helpless here. Any other time we would be with them, we would know what is going on."

That was how Severus found them after the match and it only confirmed that fact that he knew something was really wrong with Harry and Blaise. Even though they were away from most of the other students it was an uncharacteristic display of emotion he saw in the two. Sure they laughed and smiled, and their feelings of friendship for each other were apparent most of the time, but those were only surface emotion. Yet here they were, out in the open, desperately holding onto each other for comfort.

"Mr. Potter, Ms. Zabini," he said in soft tones that drew the two apart and regretfully brought their masks back up, "may I have a word in my office, please."

Nodding the two followed him back into the castle and through the labyrinth of the dungeons until they reached his personal office.

Inside the surprisingly comfortable office their head of house started a fire in the fireplace and motioned them into two soft leather chairs around a table while he called to a house-elf for tea before taking the third chair. Both Harry and Blaise had a feeling they knew what this was about and with a shared glance decided to confide to an extent in their head of house as they knew they should be able to. Both of them were out of ideas on what they could do in their situation, but perhaps Professor Snape could help them.

Severus had caught the glance and took the initiative, "I can tell that there is something wrong and would like to ask if there is anyway I can help? As I said in the beginning of the year my door is always open to a Slytherin in need."

Blaise began, "we're worried about our fathers. We haven't heard anything from them for weeks."

Harry took over then as Blaise seemed unable or unwilling to continue, "we received a letter from them Halloween night telling us that they would be out of contact for two weeks. We haven't heard from them since and when they say two weeks it means two weeks, this isn't like them to not get in touch with us. Something's wrong, we know it, and yet there is nothing we can do."

Severus looked at Harry and Blaise with growing compassion. He now knew he could no longer cling to even the smallest thread of thought that Harry was in any way like James Potter. James Potter wouldn't have cared about such things, only how it ruined his fun. He now also had a name for the hooded emotion he could see in the children's eyes: helplessness. It was the same emotion he had felt during Death Eater meetings when he had watched innocents get tortured or had been unable to prevent an attack.

"Do you still have the letter from your fathers," Severus couldn't help but ask.

Harry shook his head, he had burned it not long after reading it and even if he still had it he didn't think he would show it to Snape; there were still some secrets to be protected after all, and their childhood was one of them.

Severus sat back with a sigh, "there's not much we can do unless you know of someone you can contact though I suspect you would have done so already if there was. If you haven't heard anything from them by the time Christmas holidays are here than I will leave the school with you to help. Until then all our hands are tied unless you wish to involve the Headmaster?"

Naturally Harry and Blaise declined going to the Headmaster with their troubles, but accepted the help of their head of house. They finished their tea in silence and the duo stood to leave, Harry holding out his hand to their head of house. It seemed to Severus as if the boy had found an inner well of strength to draw from now that they had a vague course of action to fall back on should their fathers not show up before the holidays.

"Thank you professor," Harry said gravely as they shook hands, "we'll see you tomorrow morning during training, but right now I think there is a party in the common room that we should get to."

**… … … … …**

Severus did join Harry and Blaise the next morning during their training session, taking the comment the night before as a hinted invitation. In all his morning runs he had yet to enter the secluded grove where the two practiced and was surprise when he got there a little after dawn to see them already warmed up and hard at training. Blaise was at one end of the grove using a stout stick as a staff and working her way through a series of moves, occasionally using a tree as an opponent for blocks. Harry on the other hand was using a tree as a target and throwing knives at it. He watched in surprise as Harry cursed when he missed the spot he was aiming for yet again and after gathering his knives turned and noticed him standing there. He had never thought they would be doing such things in training and had also never seen the boy swear as a result of frustration; usually Harry kept up a blank façade and went on as if nothing was wrong.

Casually Harry walked over to Blaise and tapped her on the shoulder even as he instinctively ducked the swing she made at him with her makeshift staff.

"We have company," he whispered before moving to greet Snape.

"Good morning professor," both students chimed together before Harry took over, "we saw you practicing the martial arts a while back and though you seemed a bit rusty we can tell that when you have practiced a bit you will be a lot better than us. Quite frankly we need someone to help us train more and push us to our limits without allowing us to overdo it. So if we help you get back in shape, will you help us further our training while we are here at school?"

Severus looked hard at the two in front of him. The offer was decidedly Slytherin, but all three of them knew that he could get them in trouble if he desired to. Yet they also knew that he was trying to gain their trust. And if he took the offer none of them lost anything but they did all gain something in return.

Slowly he extended his hand as Harry had done to him the night before, "we have ourselves an arrangement."

They spent the next half hour or so limbering up before Harry engaged Severus in a brief sparring round. Severus had the advantage of height, weight, strength, and experience on Harry but he was out of practice. Harry on the other hand was in top form and had been taught how to use an opponent's strengths against them, he was also light and fast on his feet. So it was during a tricky move that had Severus thinking he had managed to pin the younger Slytherin that Harry brought an end to the sparring match. He quite literally swept his head of house off of his feet. Severus accepted the offered hands up and shook his head at being beaten by an eleven year old before the trio fell into an easy jog that took them about the lake. Breakfast would be starting soon and they would all have to shower after their workouts but no of them wanted to end their training session without a jog to help stretch tense muscles.

**… … … … …**

Days passed and soon an early snowfall was covering the grounds of Hogwarts, forcing Harry and Blaise to do their training indoors once again except this time they were using a room in the dungeons that Snape had set up specifically for this reason. They had fallen into an easy routine and a simple trust had built between the three Slytherins. Severus didn't ask Harry and Blaise questions that didn't concern him and if they needed someone to talk to they came to him. Yet for all their training together Harry and Blaise still walked the Path alone. Harry had tried to follow the magic of Hogwarts to the outside world as he had unwittingly done a few times before in search of his father, but the more he tried the more elusive the magic was until he finally stopped trying and did the routine in a light trance as he had done when at home.

But the increasing snowfalls also brought miracles and hope as during the morning mail a weather battered owl flew crazily in with the rest and crash landed in front of Harry and Blaise. One look at the writing on the letter and they threw Slytherin decorum out the window and grabbed up the message, leaving the owl to recuperate, as they raced out of the Great Hall. The Slytherin table was buzzing with speculation over the letter that had caused such a reaction in two of their most stoic housemates; Dumbledore was frowning slightly and thinking that this might be a chance for him to try and find out more about Harry when Snape swept from the hall after the two. If Severus had looked back he would have seen Dumbledore lean back in his chair, eyes twinkling in satisfaction. He would also know that the wily manipulator would be planning to try and exploit any information he could gain from the growing trust being forged between Harry, Blaise, and himself. But Severus didn't look back as he made his way to the training room where he knew the two Slytherins had headed with their letter.

And Severus did indeed find them in the training room, hugging each other happily with big smiles on their faces. It was the freest he had ever seen them be with their emotions except for the one time after the Quidditch game, and at his questioning look Harry handed him the letter.

_Harry and Blaise, we are home and safe now. Sorry if you were worried. We will see you soon when you come home for the Christmas Holidays and we'll explain then. Love your dads, Manuel and Trevor_

It was a short and to the point note, much like Severus imagined the first one to be, but he understood how to Harry and Blaise this simple missive was worth more than a three page letter explaining everything. They knew their fathers were alive and they would see them soon, and to them that was the only thing that mattered at this moment in time.

* * *


	24. Holiday At Home

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 23:_Holiday at Home

Harry and Blaise stepped off the train at platform 9 ¾, their luggage floating behind them as they scanned the teeming mass of humanity that had turned out to collect whatever child belonged to them.

"Harry," Manuel's strong and sure voice rang out over the cacophony of noise to be followed by Trevor's call of, "Blaise!"

Neither could repress their grins as they squeezed their way through the throng of people toward their fathers so that they could be wrapped up in warm hugs, though Harry couldn't help but notice the fact that his father's greeting was one armed thanks to the other being in a sling.

"Let's get out of here," Manuel said after a moment, knowing that the children desired answers, "we have some catching up to do and this isn't the place."

The ride home was a silent one as well, the two guards that had been waiting outside the station with the cars especially tense and ever more vigilant than usual. It seemed that no chances were being taken as they took many turns on a roundabout way home, stretching a simple trip out into one that was over three hours long to make sure that no one was pursuing them. Trevor had also discretely checked both Harry and Blaise for any form of tracking or detection charms, magical and muggle, before they had left the station. So it was that the group happily pulled up in front of the Darkov mansion and made their way inside the safe haven they called home.

**… … … … …**

Dumbledore slumped back in his chair just after one of his ex-students left his office, the girl was currently in Auror training and he had asked her to unofficially follow Harry Potter to 'make sure he got home safely.' He had wanted to send Severus but knew that it would be suspicious if the man was spotted by his quarry, he also didn't want to ruin the little trust Severus seemed to have gained with Harry and Blaise. Severus may not have been able to find out much about them yet but given time the spy would prove his usefulness. The girl had almost lost Harry and Blaise in the crowd of Platform 9 ¾ but had managed to tag them again in the main part of the station. She had lost them again once they had gotten into a car but fell back onto the contingency plan they had devised only to find out that the tracking charms had been disabled. She also hadn't been able to give a clear description of the men who had picked up Mr. Potter and Ms. Zabini. Tracking the duo had turned out to be a failure but he had assured the young Auror-to-be that she had done everything that she could have done and sent her home.

Albus sighed and turned to Fawkes, "it seems they aren't going to make this easy for me and the wizarding world cannot afford to lose Harry Potter."

**… … … … …**

An hour later found that Manuel, Trevor, Harry, and Blaise had gathered into Manuel's study and were lounging in their usual spots. They went through the usual routine any parent subjected a child to once seeing them after school: how has school been, what are your grades like, have you gotten into any trouble? Then came the questions normal parents didn't ask: have you been training, is anyone an immediate threat to you, have you been forced to use your weapons any? Harry and Blaise decided that it would be easier to just tell their fathers what happened instead of trying to answer every question individually so they started by detailing their thoughts and impressions gathered from the train ride and their sorting up until Dumbledore's greet-the-holiday speech before sending the students going home to the train. After that it was time for their interrogation of their father's to begin.

"What happened to your arm dad," Harry asked, turning their conversation to more serious matters.

Manuel sighed and glanced at Trevor.

"As you know we sent you a letter detailing Code Black and hinted that we were heading to New York. There had been a security breach in one of the labs there and Trevor and I felt that we had to go personally to straighten out the resulting mess. The breach came from the inside and it didn't take us long to get to the bottom of things. Unfortunately the organization working against us was larger than we expected and one slight misstep had us captured."

Trevor decided to take over the story then, "we were exposed to the royal treatment of blindfolds, gags, and cuffs before being thrown in the back of a van and taken to Merlin knows where. They didn't even have the decency to give us one of the more deluxe cells and they must not know that torturing powerful guests is really not the mark of a good host. They broke Manuel's arm and my ribs, they were the most serious among a bunch of other milder injuries, but we're fine now. It just took a while for the men to get in there but we wiped the bastards out after they did. Only a few stragglers are left of the organization and we have the Daggers after them."

Harry closed his eyes but could still see the tears in Blaise's eyes as her father held her gently to him. If Trevor was trying to act flippant about this whole ordeal then things had been much worse than they were letting on and for the Daggers to be out after the few that had managed to escape—the Daggers weren't deployed lightly, they were the top assassins working under Manuel and they weren't set out on petty clean-up jobs. But dinner was about to begin soon and the time for talk was over. Harry just took the time to ask one last question of his father as they both parted ways to clean up for the upcoming meal.

"Why the Daggers?" Manuel leveled his dark gaze at Harry and told his son the truth, "the stuff they got from the lab can be replaced and updated, the wounds Trevor and I suffered will heal, but those bastards threatened you and Blaise. Not even Hell will dare have mercy on them."

Harry bowed his head; there would be no more discussion on this topic even though it upset him that he was his father's greatest weakness. He had learned long ago that no one ever threatened his safety and got away with it, not with Manuel Darkov as his father.

**… … … … …**

By Christmas Eve a powdery layer of snow had arrived to cover the grounds of the Darkov Estate and everyone took advantage of it. The guards acted like kids and attacked each other in flurries of snowballs. They raced horses through the downy powder when it was safe to do so without worrying about injuring the horses, the white flakes flying with each heavy hoof-fall. And when they were done fooling around outside there were warm fires inside and plenty of hot cocoa, tea, and coffee to go around. It was a cheerfully tired group that went to bed that evening and Harry felt sorry for those that had to stay awake that night for guard duty.

Early the next morning found Manuel groaning in exasperation and exhaustion as soft footfalls made their way across the floor of his room. One would think that after eleven years of being a father he would finally be used to being woken up early on Christmas morning when he would rather sleep in. Experimentally he cracked open an eye to be greeted with the smiling face of his son.

"Half an hour more," he pleaded quietly to the youth while holding open his covers in invitation to be rewarded when Harry settled into bed next to him.

He was glad that Harry had acquiesced so easily, he didn't want to know what tricks his son now had up his sleeves after almost four months at a school of magic.

They were both woken again a bit later by a sharp '_tap tap tap'_ sound. Manuel looked around for the source of the disturbance even as his grip tightened on the gun under his pillow and his free arm pulled a wriggling Harry closer to him in a protective gesture. But Harry easily recognized what the noise was and confirmed it by spotting an impatient looking owl at the window.

"It's okay dad," Harry pointed out the disgruntled owl perched on the window sill, "it's just owl post."

Manuel relaxed and allowed Harry up to let the bird in but the haughty creature merely shoved the package at Harry and immediately flew away once relieved of its burden.

Surprisingly the package was from the twins and Harry was glad that he had thought to send them some muggle prank items. Grinning he opened the parcel to find that he had also been sent some prank items with a note on top and remembered when he and Blaise had revealed themselves as Hogwarts newest pranksters to Fred and George a few weeks ago. They had been a bit peeved to know that they had been blamed for at least two of the duo's pranks but also agreed that they were obvious suspects for the teachers. Together the four had become good friends and sometimes combined pranks, Lee Jordan occasionally helping out though Harry and Blaise didn't know him too well. Needless to say most of their housemates weren't too fond of this friendship that broke the bounds of house rivalries, especially since Harry and Blaise still weren't trying to make many friends within Slytherin.

_Our Dear Harry and Blaise if you're there,_

_We would like to wish you a very merry Christmas and a prankful holiday. We know you will put this gift to good use. Mum also insisted, more like demanded, upon sending you Weasley sweaters and Fudge (the candy, not the git Minister). Ickle Ronnikins was disgusted since you are Slytherins, so wear them proudly. And excuse the attitude of the bloody owl, we stole him from Percy, and they insist upon acting alike._

_Gred__ and Forge_

Digging a bit deeper beyond the initial layer of pranks Harry found the fudge and sweaters. One was a dark smoky grey, which he took to be his, with a silver and green serpent poised to strike and the other was a forest green color with silver colored vines twining into a S. It seemed that Mrs. Weasley was very talented with a pair of knitting needles. He would definitely have to send her a thank you card.

"I'm going to take this to Blaise," Harry grinned at his father, the joy of Christmas in his eyes, "and then it's downstairs for presents."

Manuel found it funny that during the holidays even the most disciplined of his men could lose their hardened demeanor as they tore into presents. It was as if the child in them had finally found the outlet it needed after spending most of the year being faced with the serious nature of their line of work. It was also a bit surprising to see some of the gifts they exchanged with each other. Quite often they gave each other weapons or electronic devices, but the best presents seemed to be the gag gifts or childish presents they exchanged. The strangest game he had ever seen played was when a few of the men had combined their presents to turn a simple game of Mouse Trap into a war zone after they somehow combined it with the game of Clue and some miniature army men. For some reason he was thinking that in the end it was a red mouse that killed Colonel Mustard in the trap with a piece of cheese while smoking the lead pipe, only to be assassinated by the army men who revolted and claimed Miss Scarlet as the spoils of war because the ghost of Mr. Boddy told them to.

Then of course there had been the one year when a spy had managed to get onto the grounds, relying on a freak snowstorm to cover his tracks. The storm had shut down power to the house and left them running on the barest of security in order to stretch out the use of the generators as they didn't know how long they would be without their main power supply. The unlucky men on duty who had spotted the spy had decided to forego using their freezing guns and had attacked the man with snowballs and ice-sickles instead. At first it had been fun and play until one of their own took a bullet from the intruder's gun; the sounds of return fire had filled the air then and hot, red blood had splashed everywhere to steam gently in the falling snow. Manuel shook his head at remembering that one; they had definitely had some strange holidays around here, especially when you took in the diversity of the men's beliefs. In the end many in the household had adopted a variety of beliefs and mixed them all together to form a new way of spending the holidays.

A gagging sound pulled him from his musings.

"What the fuck was that?"

One of the men had spat out what looked like a half-regurgitated jelly bean and was now looking suspiciously at a box of Jelly Bellys, "it tasted like pickled slugs."

"Watch your language," one of the guards shouted playfully from across the room, "there are little ears in here!"

Harry and Blaise looked offended for a moment before someone else added, "yeah Trevor, cover your ears so you don't pick up any bad words."

Trevor flicked them off as a few others looked at the first man oddly and one dared ask, "how the hell do you know what pickled slugs taste like?"

Manuel looked over at Harry and Blaise who were laughing quietly and watching as pillows and wrapping paper flew across the room between a few of the men as they teased the one about eating pickled slugs. It seemed that even Trevor couldn't help but smile; only those two would have mixed in Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans with innocent Jelly Bellys. Manuel shuddered remembering his first run in with the wizarding candy; he should have paid heed to the warning on the box and realized that when it said every flavor bean they meant every flavor.

"You do know that since the cleaning staff has the day off you guys are going to have to clean up your own mess don't you," Manuel dared to tell everyone only to find himself being pelted with wadded up wrapping paper as everyone turned on him.

"Mutiny!" he cried with a laugh as he tried to fend off the projectiles and fling some back in return, "how dare you! I am your leader!"

**… … … … …**

They were back on the Hogwarts Express and heading towards Hogwarts. Sadly the holidays were over and Harry and Blaise had to leave their father's behind once again. Blaise was reading one of the fantasy novels she had been given and Harry was idly examining the new guns that he had gotten from his father for Christmas; they were a new pair of black and silver 9mm Russian Makarovs and while they had been through the lab for minor adjustments they hadn't had to be specially designed for his size as his other weapons had. He was also much more comfortable with these guns than his others and had left his old firearms at home; they had been designed for him when he was seven and had begun to feel a bit small in his hands. The latch jiggled on the compartment door and Harry slid the guns away and pulled his wand out to cast the counter charm to the locking spell he had placed on the door, allowing Draco and Theo to walk in. For Christmas Trevor had taken the Ministry tracking spells off of his and Blaise's wands though Harry didn't understand why he hadn't done it that summer instead of making them wait. Harry could only guess that he had wanted them to learn some control at Hogwarts before setting them free with untraceable wands in a muggle household.

Harry and Blaise allowed Draco and Theo to draw them into conversation, things were much more relaxed in this informal setting without Crabbe and Goyle leering over Malfoy's shoulders, and it was time they started paying more attention to their dorm mates. The train ride passed with a surprising pleasantness as they talked about their holidays and played exploding snap while freely passing around their candy. The feast also passed with everyone in a good mood even though class were about to resume, and many were too full of holiday candy to eat much of the wonderful food spread out before them. Harry realized that even though he had been ecstatic to go home and spend time with his dad, he had also missed Hogwarts and the magic the practically crackled in the air surrounding him. He also knew that if it ever came down to a choice between Hogwarts and the Darkov mansion that he would forsake the castle for his home with his father. Contentedly he and Blaise followed the rest of the Slytherins to the dungeons that night, flashing covert smiles at the questioning look Severus gave them when they passed by. It was their way of letting him know that everything was fine now, and they were pleased if not a bit surprised to see a small smile sent back their way.

* * *


	25. A Gift and Pranks

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 24:_ A Gift and Pranks

Harry was just slipping his knife under his pillow when his hand encountered something and the wrinkling of paper could distinctly be heard. Cautiously Harry examined the thin parcel that had been slipped under his pillow. It was wrapped in ordinary brown paper and tied with a piece of twine; a handy revealing spell Harry had found in a charms book showed that there were no hexes, jinxes, or curses on the package. With a slight shrug Harry used his dagger to slit the twine and allowed it to drop to the floor before folding back the first edge of the paper to reveal a note.

_Harry, your father left this in my care and as I once gave my word I am passing this on to you. Be careful in its use, such things are not to be abused._

His curiosity now spiked Harry ripped into the paper, opening the rest of the package, and a silvery gray cloak fell into a fluid pile on his bed. It seemed to shimmer in the light of the fire and felt like soft silk in his hands, it was like water. Such a beautiful thing his father had left him and obviously something of great use if the sender was warning him about abusing it. It wasn't until Harry slipped the cloak on and looked in the mirror to see how it looked upon him that the importance and hidden power of the gift became clear to him. In the mirror he could see nothing more than his disembodied head floating in midair. An invisibility cloak. It would make a most excellent secret weapon. With a smirk Harry tucked it securely away in his trunk before climbing into bed and drawing his curtains like all his roommates had done before him, this was one gift he planned on abusing no matter what the sender had to say about it. Sure he could turn himself invisible without the cloak, but it was tiring and he couldn't hold the spell for too long. If sneaking around the castle had been relatively easy before it had just now gotten easier.

**… … … … …**

Classes were speeding up in intensity as the teachers began to work the students harder. Well most of the classes anyhow, Binns still droned on in his ghostly monotone and Quirrell's stutter seemed to have gotten even worse if possible. Harry and Blaise still found their lessons to be easy even with the increased workload though it tended to take Blaise a little longer to work a spell than Harry. It was clear that even as a first year Harry had incredible power, and except for two other people no one knew he could perform wandless magic and thus no one could truly comprehend the whole of Harry's growing magical reserves. Yet as any true Slytherin would do Harry downplayed his skills and did not perform to his fullest extent, he also did not reveal the full extent of the knowledge he possessed of spells and magical theory.

So after Harry and Blaise finished their assignments with quick efficiency they were left with free time in which they trained; continued their exploration of the castle and stumbled upon the numerous passageways, many by complete accident; played pranks; and combed the library for useful spells, hexes, jinxes, and enchantments they could put to use. The way their individual studying was going they would be on par with the knowledge held by students beginning their third year by the time they were done with their first year, as well they would know the more advanced incantations they had discovered in the library. Over the summer Harry had griped about the work Trevor had laid upon him and Blaise, but a feeling deep inside him told him that one day he would be thankful for all this studying. But enough was enough for now.

"I'm going to grab one last book to take with us and then we have some pranks to plan," Harry told Blaise as he stood from their secluded table and began to expertly negotiate his way through the stacks.

Each class had its own section of the library as well as the restricted section and a section of works that fit no select category. Determined to get as much out of Hogwart's library as they could Harry and Blaise had come up with a spell that listed the books in each section on a piece of charmed parchment. Then once they read a book they checked it off and turned the title into a link, similar to ones used on a computer, where they added a brief summary of key points the book held that they could use for future reference. Reaching the generalized section Harry pulled out his piece of parchment and tapped the symbol they had assigned to those shelves.

Immediately writing spider-webbed over the paper and Harry scanned through the book titles on the shelf, glancing occasionally at his list as he tried to find a book that caught his attention. Naturally a book finally caught his emerald gaze but the book had no title or author, and the pages were blank. It was not on the list either. If Harry hadn't sensed the magic contained within the blue and silver bound book he would have thought it a journal someone had mistakenly left behind and never used. Snatching up a random book Harry also grabbed the blank one and concealed it in his pocket; he would share it with Blaise later but didn't think he should check it out with Madam Pince. He was sure it wasn't a part of the library and wanted to discover what it was by himself.

**… … … … …**

Blaise turned and glared at the twins who were sneaking along behind them, the whole group was dressed completely in black and the twins had tried to pull off a muggle commando look for this mission.

"Shut it," she hissed warningly, "do you want the teachers to catch us?"

They were currently trying to sneak past the teacher's lounge where a meeting was going on. Harry had been tempted to stop and listen to see what the teachers were saying, but the risk of getting caught was too high and they had plans to see through while the professors were otherwise occupied. Besides, Dumbledore had that uncanny way of knowing when someone was around him. He had known it was Harry at the door of his office the one time Harry had been sent there after trying to transfigure a gossipy Gryffindor into a Dodo bird, he probably would have succeeded too except McGonagall had overheard part of the spell. But that could be explained by warning spells or a teacher telling Dumbledore to be expecting him. What had unsettled Harry was the day he had holed up in a hidden alcove when he had heard someone coming, he was trying to see how long he could go before Blaise found him, and even though no one could see into the alcove except by stepping into it the headmaster had known he was there.

The old coot had called out a cheerful, "Hello there Harry, I hope you are well," and went on his way without another word or explanation on how he had known Harry was there.

Once safely past the teachers lounge Harry and Blaise smoothly straightened and began to move swiftly down the hall, the twins following their example with a bit more clumsiness. This plan was a bit late being put into action, it was a Halloween care kit after all, but neither Harry nor Blaise were about to let the toilet paper and sticky string go to waste. For that fact they were dying to use the spray paint as well, a handy charm had ensured that most removal spells and potions would be ineffective against their artwork. Too bad they didn't have any eggs, but they would have rotted if Manuel sent them in the package, and Harry and Blaise still didn't know how to get to the kitchens though the twins had promised to show them some time. It was time that Hogwarts was hit with new pranks—muggle style.

Toilet paper flew across the various classrooms and Fred and George seemed to get as much sticky string on them as the room did. Graffiti soon decorated some of the walls as well in either random scrawling or a few drawings and crude remarks. Fred and George seemed to be using a lot of the red and gold spray paint which worked fine for Harry and Blaise; they would gladly let the blame land on Gryffindor if the twins were daring enough to use their house colors. They also added personal touches to each classroom.

In the transfiguration classroom the twins left a dirty litter box, Harry didn't want to know where they got the poop from. Flitwick's door was rigged so that the feathers he seemed fond of using during their lessons on charms would fall and stick to him, the magical version of tarred and feathered. In Quirrell's classroom they left a few blood-like stains on the desk and a snake curled up on the chair. The twins didn't ask how Harry had gotten a snake or kept from being bitten while handling it, and thankfully weren't around to hear Harry hiss at the snake to stay on the chair until the 'stinky man' came in and then scare him. Binns was a tough one but they finally decided to put a mirror up on his desk in hopes that the dry professor would realize he was a ghost and finally pass on. In the astronomy tower they blackened the eyes pieces and sprinkled silver glitter on the telescope lenses for kicks.

The only classrooms Harry and Blaise hadn't planned on hitting was the greenhouses, it was too much hassle to go outside for a prank like this, and the potions classroom. They knew Snape had wards up around the dungeons and while their head of house no longer chased them down when they left the dungeons at night he would get suspicious if the wards across the hallway near his classroom went off. As it was Harry and Blaise often used the passageway behind the portrait of Lady Alyssa which wasn't warded since Lady Alyssa wasn't supposed to let anyone in through there except Severus, the password had been changed since the troll incident much to the dismay of many Slytherin students who had been planning on sneaking out that way.

Actually most of the Slytherins couldn't find where the doorway was anyhow because from the inside of the Slytherin common room it was merely a blank stone wall and they had come to the conclusion that it was only a one way deal; the only clue that there was a door there at all was the tiny carving of a snake near the floor that happily responded to Harry's whispers in parseltongue. The parseltongue also worked quiet well on Lady Alyssa as well, who as it turned out was the great-great-great-granddaughter of Salazar Slytherin himself.

But Fred and George surprised them once again and proved that they hadn't been considered Hogwart's number one pranksters for nothing. They had found a passageway that got them around the wards Severus had set.

"He only places the wards across the entrances to the hallways," Fred was explaining, "and he couldn't ward this passageway because we know he doesn't know about it yet."

"The classroom is also unwarded," George picked up the explanation, "because the older students, mainly Slytherins, are allowed to use the classrooms for brewing when they need to for a project and it would take too much energy to keep setting and unraveling the wards around the classroom. That, and there is also a chance that the protective magic could cause reactions with the magical nature of the potions."

Harry gave the twins an odd look, "how do you know all this? Eavesdropping?"

The twins grinned back at him, "we prefer the phrase listening into conversations that we couldn't help but overhear and putting the knowledge spoken of to good use."

Blaise shook her head and muttered something that sounded like, "long-winded idiots."

They had just slipped back into the secret passage the twins had led them through to get past the dungeon wards when Snape came down the hall as he headed towards his personal chambers. The meeting was over then. Nodding a silent farewell to the twins Harry and Blaise slipped quietly through the dungeons towards the back entrance to the Slytherin common room. Lady Alyssa let them in on sight with a discreet wink and Harry and Blaise managed to sneak back into their dorms without waking anyone. Harry smiled as he fell asleep, thinking of the pastel colors that now decorated the cool stone walls of the potions classroom. And boy would Severus be enraged when he found out what the Weasley twins had left him. Harry didn't hate or even dislike the potions professor like most of the other students in the school did, he actually genuinely liked the man, but he would be among the first to admit that Severus Snape was prime pranking material.

* * *


	26. Under the Forbidden Stars

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 25:_ Under the Forbidden Stars

Harry and Blaise didn't even try to be around the next morning when the professors discovered the messes that their classrooms had become, for one it would be too suspicious and two they didn't know which teacher would discover the mess first. It would be much better to see the aftermath when the professors came seeking Dumbledore in the Great Hall during breakfast. Tiny Flitwick came in first, feathers covering him and as he waved his arms around wildly he looked so much like a chicken that Harry hoped the house-elves didn't mistake the poor man for dinner. McGonagall was next, her lips were thinned so much that they appeared to be white around the edges; perhaps the twins crack on her animagus form was a bit much for her to handle. By now those that had been in the hall were laughing at Flitwick but everything suddenly went deadly silent. Harry and Blaise winced a bit guiltily as the doors to the Great Hall flew open yet again to reveal their incensed Potions Master. Even sopping wet and sporting colorful soap bubbles his robes still billowed out menacingly around him and his longish hair hung in a wet mass down his back, the familiar tie that usually secured it having disappeared sometime. Not one student or teacher dared laugh for fear of the harsh reprimand or hex that would fly from the professor's volatile mouth. To speak would be to admit to having a death wish.

With a few precise flicks of his wand Dumbledore dried Severus and removed the feathers from Filius. He would take care of the classrooms later. But for now he had to deal with the people around him. Nearly all the students were in the hall now and all but two of the teachers were present.

"I must comment our pranksters on their works this last night," Dumbledore began ignoring the angry remarks from his teaching staff, "but must stress that a repeat of this particular prank will not be received in good graces. Classes will be held in alternate rooms until the normal classrooms can be restored to their pristine condition. Teachers, I ask you to check over the contents of your rooms when you are able to ensure that there are no more pranks set up. A list will be posted of the reassigned classrooms after breakfast and—"

He trailed off as Quirrell came careening into the hall, his robes flapping wildly about him as he tripped in his haste.

"S-s-s-s-s-sn-sn," the professor tried to stutter out but no explanation was necessary, for slithering quickly across the stone floor was a snake that kept snapping at Quirrell's heels and hissing angrily.

Most of the hall roared with laughter though most of the girls screamed and jumped up on their chairs, it seemed that even the still pissed Potions Master quirked his lips slightly. Harry though had the added bonus of hearing what the snake was hissing at Quirrell.

_"Ssstinkyy manss, I'd bitesss you again, but you tasstesss worssse than dead dung beatlesss. Yousss sssmellsss worse than a Thessstralsss butt too."_

It was a few moments before anything was done but much to the snake's dismay it soon found itself at the business end of Dumbledore's wand and floating in the air, unable to attack the object of its displeasure any more.

"Ah yes, Severus, if you would be so kind as to take care of our little friend here. I do believe you have no aversion to snakes like some here do." Harry watched as Professor Snape expertly handled the snake as the man gently but firmly held it behind its head and at the tail to calm it down and keep it from being able to attack him.

"I have no problem with snakes and will gladly watch after this little fellow," Severus smirked, but his posture was defensive and Harry suspected that when the Headmaster had been talking about snakes it had been a veiled reference to the Slytherins.

"I was thinking along the lines of setting it free in the Forbidden Forest," Albus hinted to his potions professor.

But the now calm snake was resting comfortably around the Potion Masters arm and it seemed he was planning on keeping it. After all if the snake could upset Quirrell that much—

" Consider it Slytherin's mascot," Snape was saying, "as the head of house for Slytherin surely I am allowed to care for the house's mascot?"

The cheery eyes of the Headmaster twinkled falsely and consent was given for the snake to remain. Snape swept off in a swirl of robes, Quirrell's eyes nervously watching the snake all the while.

It was with great apprehension that the first year Gryffindors and Slytherins headed to their temporary potions classroom for their first lesson. They were not really all that fond of facing Snape in his current mood, even if he had seemed to enjoy Quirrell's predicament they knew his foul temper had not yet abated and they would most likely be taking the brunt of it. Well, the Gryffindors surely would at least. They Slytherins were hoping that Snape would still remember to favor them as they were under his care.

"Open your books to page 251," the Professor billowed into the room like a black storm cloud, "and begin brewing, you miserable excuse for potion ingredients."

In a flurry of activity everyone hurried to obey and one hapless Gryffindor by the name of Neville Longbottom made his first error of the class and knocked his book to the floor with a resounding slam. Professor Snape was whirling on the timid Gryffindor before the book even hit the floor it seemed and Harry was sure that if the man didn't possess such a great deal of control then there would have been nothing left of Neville except hex marks. They spent the rest of class frantically brewing and triple checking their work for any possible mistakes as they struggled to answer the rapid fire questions their professor was throwing out at them. More than one smoking cauldron exploded that lesson, seeming to add fuel to the fire of Snape's temper. When they were finally dismissed the Gryffindors had lost many points and fled as if a horde of banshees were chasing them. The Slytherins followed almost as quickly even though they had been spared the worst of their head of house's temper and Harry was quite sure that he had heard Snape chuckle as they left.

In fact he had a sneaking suspicion that the chuckle was followed by a cheerful, "tormenting Gryffindors is so much fun."

Harry turned to Blaise then, "I don't think I'm going to ask for the snake back now. I knew we shouldn't have let Fred and George prank him like that. Snape would have loved the other teachers getting pranked and I don't think he would have minded the room being messed up all that much, though he probably would have pretended to, but the soapy water went way too far."

Things settled down over the next few days and it helped greatly that they were finally back in their correct classrooms, things having been restored back to the state they had been in before the prank. Luckily the teachers hadn't been able to link anyone to the pranks though the twins were currently laying low and trying to stay out of trouble. The only thing that had saved the twins from being under great suspicion had been the fact that the main parts of the prank had reeked of muggle influence, thus mostly removing the magically raised twins from suspicion.

Harry and Blaise had also started examining the blank journal Harry had found but were unable to figure out the secret to activating it and had turned their attention back to the other books they had taken from the library.

"Wouldn't your father love to get a hold of this," Blaise suddenly commented gesturing to the book of magical stones she was currently reading so that they could record it in their book log, "it speaks of a stone that can turn metal to gold and an elixir that gives its consumer extended longevity. Invented by an alchemist, Nicholas Flamel. Most of the things in this book are magical stones and their properties, a bit on alchemy but not much. I'm not going to read any more, it's pretty boring."

Harry nodded and set aside his book on defense so that he could enter the summary under the book title Magical Stones and their Properties.

"Dad would love that, though I don't know how much use he would put it to. Just being able to make gold like that would take the fun out of being a Mafia King for him, though he probably would put the elixir to good use until he grew bored of the thought of a long life. I imagine living forever would get boring after a few hundred years or so and you, me, and Trevor already have a longer life span as wizards. Something like that would be too good to be true."

**… … … … …**

Fortunately for Harry and Blaise the twins didn't lay low for too long and feeling restless one evening after dinner they decided to seek their partners in crime out. But the twin's behavior was even more suspicious than usual so Harry and Blaise did not approach them but decided to follow their fellow pranksters and kill two birds with one stone by testing out Harry's invisibility cloak at the same time. As it turned out following the twins and wearing the invisibility cloak became their free ticket into the forbidden forest. It seemed that the twins had devised a way to get around Fang and though Fang could smell Harry and Blaise he could not pinpoint their location clearly enough to alert Hagrid to their presence. It was time to explore the forest and prank the twins.

"Did you see their faces," Blaise choked out laughing as she appeared from beneath the invisibility cloak, "they were so scared."

Harry too couldn't help but laugh. They had silently stalked the twins through the forest for a ways before purposefully cracking twigs and rustling the bushes all around them. They had also sent out a few frightening noises and Harry had used his wandless magic to stir up dirt and dead leaves so that they swirled around the twins as if attacking while the wind howled menacingly. The twins had finally broken free and started yelling something about demons before running back out of the forest. Harry just hoped that Hagrid didn't come to investigate.

"Come on," Harry said regaining control of himself and pulling Blaise up from the tree she was leaning against, "let's do a bit of exploring before we need to head back."

They walked along for a bit before stumbling into a clearing that opened up to the very heavens, yet that was not the sight that had Harry and Blaise transfixed. It was the two figures gazing proudly toward the sky in studious dissection that they were focused on, Centaurs. Before either of them could make another move they found that their presence had captured the attention of the centaurs who were now staring firmly at them. Respectfully Harry and Blaise moved from the tree line and into clearer view before bowing in greeting to the magnificent beings.

"Greetings noble ones," Harry's natural leadership came out as he spoke for Blaise and himself, "my name is Harry Potter and this is Blaise Zabini, we are honored to make your acquaintance."

The clear gazes of the Centaurs seemed to penetrate him as they did the very heavens before the chestnut Centaur with red hair answered, "I am Ronan and my companion is Firenze. The night forest is not a place for students Harry Potter, take your companion and leave. May the stars guide you."

The Centaurs had already turned back to their interpretation of the stars and the parting comment was a softly spoken dismissal that Harry and Blaise felt compelled to heed. There seemed to be a veiled warning in what had been said for Ronan had stressed that the night forest was not safe but had made no mention of the forest being unsafe during the day, of course Centaurs were naturally vague about things too. Blaise stumbled to a stop next to him and Harry cursed himself for his inattention as he started at what had her transfixed. A luminescent puddle of silver liquid stained the ground in front of them and it fairly hummed with magic.

"What do you think it is?" Blaise's question was breathy in the silence of the forest.

Harry shook his head, "I don't know but I think we should take some and show to Professor Snape. Do you still have that vial of color changing potion on you?"

After emptying out the vial Blaise handed him and scouring it with a cleaning charm Harry carefully gathered up the glowing substance, careful not to get any on his hands in case it was harmful though inside he instinctively knew that it wasn't. It was always better to be safe than sorry though.

**… … … ... …**

"Where did you get this?" Professor Snape demanded, causing Harry and Blaise to exchange glances.

It was becoming increasingly obvious that they should have tried to figure out what the substance was by themselves, it would have saved them from the trouble it seemed they were about to get into. Reluctantly they told their head of house.

"The Forest," his voice was deadly calm, "the Forbidden Forest that just happens to be named such for a reason?"

"Yes sir," Harry's voice was soft but firm as he answered.

The professor sighed heavily, "I will have to inform the Headmaster of your discovery of Unicorn's blood in the forest in case something is wrong but shall omit your involvement, Dumbledore takes too much interest in you two as it is."

Harry and Blaise exchanged looks of relief that turned to blank masks as Snape continued, "You will of course serve a detention of my choosing when I decide upon suitable punishment."

"Well that went better than expected," Blaise commented as they left the potion master's presence, "we knew we couldn't avoid detentions forever and this way the nosey Headmaster doesn't know we are involved."

Harry agreed but couldn't help adding ominously, "but our detention could be with Filch."

Both hoped that their head of house would not be that cruel when he made them serve their detention, they were Slytherins after all and he did favor his house above the others.

**… … … … …**

"Your detention will be served with me this evening after dinner," Professor Snape had held them back after class a few days after they had taken the vial of Unicorn blood to him, "meet me at my office and we will discuss your punishment further then."

Harry and Blaise nodded their understanding and continued on to their next class, it would do no good to dwell on what they would be doing for there would be no way out of the detention. As it was they were lucky enough that their head of house was willing to keep quiet about the fact that they had been the ones to stumble upon the puddle of blood in the Forbidden Forest. They also knew that the cover up had cost the professor more work such as actually going into the forest and finding the blood himself, using their vague directions to find it as they had no doubt that the Headmaster would want to see it himself. So after dinner they reported promptly to Snape's office and waited to hear what they would be doing.

"You will be joining me in the forest tonight to help gather potions ingredients as well as keep an eye out for any more Unicorn's blood. I was tempted to make you go out with the gamekeeper but after an incident I have doubled my doubts about entrusting students to his care. Let's go."

Harry and Blaise followed along after Snape and mulled over the comment about Hagrid. His hut had caught on fire the night before and the rumor among the Slytherin's was that the man had gotten drunk and tried to perform magic and caught his bed on fire. A more reliable and less prejudice source had made mention of Hagrid trying to raise a dragon in his hut and hadn't been able to control the beast. Both seemed plausible but there wasn't enough facts for them to decide which was truer, what they did know was that Snape did not believe the man to be responsible. Too bad he was being closed mouth about his reasons on not trusting Hagrid; it might have solved the rumors for them. Snape stopped abruptly in front of the forest they were about to enter.

"Normally I would be assigning such a detention in hopes that you would avoid the forest as you are meant to, but I doubt that such an impression will be made on the two of you so I will ask that at the very least you do not wander off."

Harry rolled his eyes but promised to not stray too far from the professors side and Blaise echoed his agreement, they would have other chances to come to the forest though tonight in itself would be profitable as Snape knew parts of the forest and the various plants and animals that inhabited it. Learning what they could from their teacher tonight would better prepare them for future visits.

"Damn," Severus swore softly before striding swiftly forward.

They had been in the forest for about two hours by then and Snape had been lecturing them on the different plants they came across, but the sight in front of them was not something they had expected to see. A wounded Unicorn labored for breath between two of the trees. Quickly Harry and Blaise moved so that they reached the Unicorn at the same time as their professor and two things happened simultaneously. A black seething mass shot off into the darkness at their arrival and arrows began to fly out of the undergrowth towards professor Snape. If the black creature had not startled them so, the potions master would not have been looking up when the arrows came and many of them would have fatally impaled him; as it was the man had been able to lithely twist his body out of the way so that only one of the projectiles found their mark in his right arm.

Severus cried out in pain as one of the arrows found its mark, tearing fiercely through muscle, but there was no time to be weak and he tried to draw his wand as another volley of arrows came shooting their way. Next to him he saw Harry move forward and throw his hands out, wand clutched tightly in one hand. No words issued from the boys mouth but his desire was strong enough and the arrows bounced off a shield that glowed briefly every time it was struck. Blaise was at his side as Harry was doing this and was making quick work of the arrow protruding from his arm. He had to hand it to her; the girl didn't even flinch as she snapped the arrow off so that only a few inches of the shaft poked out from his arm before binding the wound with strips of cloth she severed from the bottom of his own robes.

A thundering of hooves drew both their attention back to Harry who hesitantly dropped his shield to approach the band of Centaurs that kept unwavering bows trained upon them.

The boy spoke softy as if trying not to set the Centaurs off, his hands out from his sides and wand tucked away to show that he mean no harm, "why do you shoot at us?"

Ronan, who was with the group, stepped forward, "we meet again Harry Potter and apologize for firing upon you; we believed the dark one there to be the entity hunting the Unicorns. His appearance did nothing to dissuade our conclusions and you we did not take notice of until the casting of the shield of protection. Good evening."

Harry glanced at the professor's billowing robes and realized how the professor could possibly be mistaken for the dark mass that had fled mere moment before the attack, for he assumed the dark mass to be the entity the Centaurs spoke of.

When Harry glanced back the Centaurs were in the process of fading back into the forest with the wounded Unicorn except for the young Firenze.

"Come dwellers of the castle," his tone was solemn as he addressed them, "I will escort you to the path near the edge of the cleared grounds. It seems the girl-wizard has tended to the arrow and for now it will keep, we Centaurs will be watching both sky and ground this night so you must not remain."

Silently they followed the blond form of Firenze whose soft hoof-falls barely made a sound in the still night air. In no time he had led them to a path near the edge of the forest though they themselves could not see any path that the Centaur had followed.

"Farewell," Firenze bade them, "I will watch for your stars though Mars is certainly bright tonight. Yes, Mars is bright."

Without another word Firenze left them and they made their way to the castle, Professor Snape refusing with every step to go to the hospital wing citing that he could take care of himself and that they had both better get back to the Slytherin dorms or they would be facing a detention of scrubbing out cauldrons. None of the three noticed the black figure following at a cautious distance behind them, their minds too full of the night's happenings to be truly aware of their surroundings.

* * *


	27. A Powerful Adventure

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 26:_ A Powerful Adventure

"No more," Blaise groaned as she flopped down on a couch in the corner of the Slytherin Common room that was undisputedly theirs, "I don't think I can take anymore."

Harry grinned tiredly at his friend, "that was the last test Blaise, no worries for the next week until we find out how we've done. All I want to do right now is get dinner."

Things went fine until after dinner when Harry and Blaise found themselves once again sitting in the Slytherin Common room, bored.

"Want to pull a prank," Harry asked Blaise quietly but the girl shook her head.

"We still need to lay low after that last one. Who would have guessed Professor Sinistra would get so mad when the bewitched food ended up going down her robes; I swear she must be part harpy."

"Well I'm not reading anymore books from the library and neither of us want to study, so what do we do?"

Blaise mused for a second, "I don't want to train either so I guess that basically leaves us with games or wandering around the school and evading the prefect patrols."

Harry shrugged before his eyes lit up and he leaned in to whisper conspiratorially to Blaise, "let's go see what the three-headed dog guards!"

**… … … … …**

"Harry you bastard, why did I let you talk me into this!" Blaise yelled as she dodged one of the three snapping heads.

Somehow the damn thing had managed to get between them and the door leading out and neither wanted to go any further down the corridor into the darkness and possibly trap themselves even more. A split moment of distraction when Peeves came zooming through the wall cursing a suit of armor found Harry trapped between two gigantic paws.

"Bloody hell," Harry whispered softly and seeing no way out of the predicament he closed his eyes and waited to be mauled.

A moment later and Harry was cracking his eyes open again to find Peeves blowing an annoying tune on a kazoo he had taken from a muggleborn that morning and the three-headed dog snoring slightly. Peeves stopped playing and let out a cackle. The three-headed dog growled and started to stir until Peeves began playing again. Harry wasted no time moving away from the demon dog.

"Thanks Peeves," Harry panted, trying to regain his composure even as he drug Blaise to the trap door and flung it open, "hurry Blaise, let's go while it's still sleeping."

Blaise looked at Harry as if he was insane but both leapt blindly down the hole, contorting their bodies as they dropped to help cushion the landing and wondering when they would hit.

**… … … … …**

The kazoo fell from Peeves' mouth and down the trap door as his jaw dropped open and he lost his mischievously malicious demeanor. They had just jumped down the hole, the forbidden hole that even he hadn't dared go through. For a moment the poltergeist made as if to follow and join in on the fun before the swipe of a huge paw knocked him backwards. Cursing Peeves zoomed back through the wall he had come through earlier, passing over the helmet-less suit of armor that was still banging on the wall trying to get through to him. Had to find the Headmaster he did, and quickly.

A sinister "Peeves" sounded from next to him and the poltergeist whirled to face the Bloody Baron.

"What have you been told about harassing the students and destroying school property."

Cowed and somewhat frightened Peeves tried to explain about the ickle firsties going down the forbidden hole but the Bloody Baron kept advancing on him and with a shrieking curse Peeves fled, the imposing Slytherin ghost chasing after him.

**… … … … …**

"Oof!" The air rushed out of their lungs as they landed on a pile of some plant matter.

Grateful for the cushioned landing Harry and Blaise rested for a moment to catch their breath before trying to wade free of the plant.

"Light your wand Blaise," Harry instructed, "so we can find out way out."

Blaise nodded into the darkness even though Harry couldn't see, but turned panicky after a moment.

"I can't reach my wand," she cried, "I'm trapped."

Horror dawned as Harry realized vines had wrapped around him as well and he struggled harder, ignoring the tightening lianas as he sought his knife. Air was getting scarce when he finally touched the cool metal of his knife. Moments later his arm was free and he slashed wildly until he could breathe again. He continued to slash at the attacking plant while using his wandless magic to create a ball of light so he could find Blaise. What he saw frightened him. Blaise was firmly wrapped in the vines, her weak struggles told him she was still alive, and she was being drug towards a vivid looking flower bud that was gaping open with sharp protrusions lining the blossom that was ready to eat his friend.

Harry threw himself forward, evading the seeking vines and began to hack until he managed to get Blaise free. Futilely he tried to tug them both away from the plant but they were being overwhelmed again. Not thinking of what he was doing Harry forced his light ball to shoot at the man-eating blossom that was huddled in its darkened corner, salivating. With a shriek the plant recoiled it's more active vines only to slash them back towards Harry and Blaise, the impact throwing them free of the deadly plant and towards the chamber's exit. They wasted no time getting through the door, slamming it shut behind them and leaning heavily against the door as they tried to calm their rapid breathing.

"There's no way we're getting back out through there," Blaise panted, "I guess we'll have to go on."

Harry swallowed and hoarsely agreed, creating a witchlight to proceed them down the hall they had found themselves in, "I don't think I want to know what is down here as bad anymore."

The hall ended in another door. The length of the hall had merely been stone wall until the end where this wooden door awaited them. Harry and Blaise looked nervously at each other, neither really wanted to go through the door but they also knew they couldn't go back the way they came.

"Come on," Harry said, bolstering his courage, "we've come this far and if we work together and don't let ourselves be taken by surprise we can handle anything we come across. We've been in bad situations before and now that I think of it the plant wasn't all that bad."

Blaise gave him a look as if to ask if he was completely crazy, but the determination was back in her eyes and her posture indicated she was ready. Without hesitation Blaise reached out and pushed on the door handle, which gave with a click, allowing the door to swing slowly open.

Cautiously they stepped into this new room. At first they saw nothing until a stirring of noise from above them drew their attention. Glittering birds flew along the ceiling above them, but besides that and a few brooms leaning against the far wall next to the other door the room was empty. Using hand signals Harry motioned to Blaise to edge along the wall with him to the other door as both of them kept an eye on the glittering birds, wary of any other obstacles that might be hidden from their sight. Nothing happened until they reached the other door and Harry tried the handle. Two things happened then, Harry discovered the door was locked and the glittering birds that turned out to be winged keys dive bombed them.

"Get the door," Blaise yelled above the rush of wings, "I got your back."

She had snatched up a broom and was frantically swiping the keys away while Harry futilely tried the unlocking charms he knew.

'_Alohomora_' proved useless as well as a few of the stronger ones he had read about.

"I need another minute," Harry called to Blaise, already setting to work, "I'm going to have to do this the usual way."

A few careful manipulations of the ancient tumblers left Harry hearing a satisfying snick and he prepared to throw the door open and bolt through.

"Next dive give them all you have and twist through. Three…two…one…now!"

Blaise swung hard at the glittering winged keys with the broom she held, letting the broom fly at the end of her swing before throwing herself backwards and twisting to get through the opening Harry had left for her. For the second time that day Harry and Blaise slammed a door, and they imagined that they could hear the sound of the old fashion keys pounding into the door as they tried to follow after them.

This time they had not ended up in another hallway, but a room in which torches flared all around them to reveal a giant chess set made up of imposing pieces chiseled out of black and white stone. One could almost swear they were alive but then a closer look was taken and you knew they were alive. Harry and Blaise discovered that out the hard way though when they tried to pass through to the other side of the room and found their way barred. It suddenly became clear that they would have to take their places among the ranks of the pieces and play their way through the game, unfortunately neither of them was particularly good at chess. But even though chess was not one of their strong points Harry and Blaise knew strategy and were going to use every bit of cunning they had to win this game, especially when it became apparent that any player taken would be mauled.

Yet their strategy seemed to be winning out and they came closer to their goal of beating the imposing white chess pieces. That was until Blaise made a move, stepping further into the white territory. Her attention had been taken by the danger posed by a rook and a knight so that she had not noticed the queen lying in wait. Harry's concentration on the visible threat to Blaise had also kept him preoccupied until he saw the heavy arm of the queen lift for the blow. Harry gave up his position on the board, no longer caring for the rules of the game as he leapt to defend his childhood friend. Some instinct inside him told him to forego his wand and use his gun; so Harry went with his instinct, shooting off three well placed bullets. Upon impact the bullets exploded, cracking through the enchanted stone to leave the queen as a pile of rubble. For a moment Harry hesitated before taking the rest of the white pieces out, he started with the king and didn't spare even the lowly pawns. He did spare the black pieces, for they had fallen dormant with no one to command them once he had abandoned his position. Quickly Harry followed Blaise in scrambling over the rubble to the door, thankful that it wasn't locked. The door led them to a short hallway where Harry and Blaise thankfully paused and looked uncertainly back at the door they had just gone through. They could hear the sound of rubble shifting on the other side of the door and they could practically see the white stone mending itself back into the deadly chess pieces. There was another door they weren't in any hurry to go back through anytime soon.

"Three-headed dogs, man-eating plants, attack keys, and deadly chess pieces," Blaise moaned, "what next? What if this turns out to be a dead end with no way out except to go back? We've pissed off the guardians too much to be allowed to walk back out without repercussion and what the hell was up with the explosions back there?"

The last bit came out in a growl and Harry winced inwardly. Blaise was really getting pissed off and he really didn't want that anger directed at him. She wouldn't hurt him of course, but it wasn't a good thing to have your best friend and confidant upset at you.

"Well," Harry began…

_-Flashback-_

_They had been up early that morning to walk the Path but had decided to forego training that morning in order to prepare for the exams they would be taking that day. But he had been unable to concentrate and had pulled out his gun and the spare clips and began to fool with them. On a whim he remembered an enchantment spell he had read that was used on inanimate objects and decided to use the bullets to practice on, he intended to take the spells off once he was done. He didn't want to test the results that came from mixing magic with muggle technology, but doubted it would hurt to use the bullets for practice and they were the only thing near at hand in the training room besides the blades and staffs. He could have enchanted his books of course but they were already seeped with magic and he didn't want to combine the spells and possibly end up with volatile results. _

_"Enchaneta Reducto," Harry twirled his wand around a bullet before stabbing it forward. _

_The bullet glowed slightly but it was more of a pale shine than the red it was supposed to turn briefly. After a few more frustrating tries Harry practically shouted the spell and poured more power into the invocation than before, not realizing at first that he had encompassed all the bullets he had taken out from the first clip as well as the other two clips with his wand motion. This time he achieved the mentioned red glow and nodded in satisfaction even though he realized he had enchanted more bullets than he had intended to. _

_"Come on Harry," Blaise suddenly poked her head into the training room, she had went back to the common room earlier to look for a book she had forgotten to bring with her that morning, "unless you don't want to eat before the exams?" _

_Harry had scowled briefly before shoving the bullets back into their clips and reloading his gun; he would disenchant them later when he had more time._

_-End Flashback-_

"…I never did get around to disenchanting the blasting hex on them, good thing too. I'm glad that I got the spare clips with the spell as well. There's no way the first clip would have gotten us through."

Blaise didn't get on his case for fooling around with magic they knew next to nothing about, but she did ask for one of his guns and Harry gave her the one with the last of the enchanted bullets, keeping the normal one for himself. They didn't have time or patience to fool with enchanting the bullets for Blaise's gun.

"I think the rumors were true," Harry choked as they entered yet another chamber.

Blaise nodded with wide eyes. In front of them was a dragon, it was still young yet but that didn't keep it from exuding danger. With a roar the dragon made as if to attack Harry and Blaise who found themselves frozen. They knew dragons were magic resistant and doubted their muggle weaponry would do much to pierce the hide of such a magical creature. They could go for the eyes of course but in that instant neither could bring themselves to harm the young dragon.

"This is one obstacle I can see no way past," Harry said and began to back through the still open door, "I'd rather take my luck trying to get back out the way we came."

Harry made it no further for he suddenly realized that the dragon had not attacked and Blaise was staring at him, or more precisely the dragon pendant that hung around his neck glowing softly. It was this which made the dragon back off and return to its bed, curling up peacefully to let them pass. Neither knew that the young dragon had felt draconian magic in the pendant and that no respectable dragon would harm one who wore the pendant, all Harry and Blaise knew was that the pendant was sending off magical waves and that they were being allowed to pass through. They were not about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Fire sprung up behind them as they entered yet another of the seemingly endless rooms filled with guardians that tested their abilities. It wasn't ordinary fire either; the fire blocking the way behind them was purple while black flames shot up in the doorway leading onward. With a groan they realized who had set up this obstacle, the row of potion vials were a dead give away. Whatever they found here would either be very straight forward to the point that they would miss the obvious or so sneaky and complicated that they would still miss the answer. They did not expect what they found.

"A logic puzzle," Blaise exclaimed, "I don't know whether to call him a crafty Slytherin or just plain brilliant. This would stump most witches or wizards because it has nothing to do with magic and that's all they really ever learn, they really rely too heavily on magic."

Harry took the scroll from Blaise who had picked it up off the table next to the row of vials.

_Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,  
__Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,  
__One among us seven will let you move ahead,  
__Another will transport the drinker back instead,  
__Two among our number hold only nettle wine,  
__Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line.  
__Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,  
__To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:  
__First, however slyly the poison tries to hide  
__You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;  
__Second, different are those who stand at either end,  
__But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;  
__Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,  
__Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;  
__Fourth, the second left and the second on the right  
__Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight._

The puzzle was written in the familiar scrawl of their potions professor and Harry admired the man's cunning brilliance though why he had left clues at all when he surely knew which bottle held which stumped Harry completely. Why aid someone in getting past the fire when it was obviously there to deter people. At first Harry suspected the clues to be false but knew the potions master had too much pride in his craft to do such a thing and perhaps end up feeding someone who might be innocent a deadly poison. Harry stared intently at the bottles and running through the clues again moved two bottles slightly away from the rest. The one furthest on the right would be their key to going back should they need it but the other one he had set forth would allow them to continue on this insane lark they had embarked on. Blaise had done her own calculations and agreed with Harry's findings.

Harry took a deep breath, an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, "I think we're getting near the end since we've been given a choice like this. So do we go on or do we take the potion that will allow us to go back?"

Blaise seemed to struggle for a moment, "we can't stop now; it would be like admitting defeat even though we have been taught that tactical retreats are one of the best strategies to employ."

Harry nodded and took a small sip of the potion that would allow them to go onward before passing it to Blaise who also took a sip, for some reason he suddenly felt that there was now a greater threat behind them instead of in front of them. Before leaving they placed the almost empty potion vial back on the table, watching as the bottle magically refilled, looking undisturbed for the next fool who managed to get far enough to face the riddle. Squeezing each others hands for reassurance Harry and Blaise stepped through the black flames.

**… … … … …**

"Your Headshipness!" Peeves cried, "down the hole they went."

He had finally escaped the Bloody Baron and had come upon Albus Dumbledore talking to Severus Snape. A good thing Peeves thought, the dark man guarded his ickle snakes well. Peeves had the satisfaction of seeing the Headmaster's head jerk up sharply.

"Who?"

The Headmaster's voice was sharp and urgent and Peeves flipped himself before hovering closer; perhaps he should have went to just the dark man instead of the Headship, he didn't want to get the young snakes in trouble. Those two were fun, like the lion twins.

"The Potter one and friend," Peeves blew a raspberry at the Headship, maintaining his childish façade.

Everything seemed to still for a moment before Albus Dumbledore was moving quickly toward the Forbidden Corridor, Severus Snape a few paces behind. Peeves was tempted to follow but decided it would be safer to annoy Filch, couldn't let the young snake's gifts go to waste now could he?

**… … … … …**

Harry and Blaise found themselves in a room larger than all the others, it boasted of wide stairs that spanned across half the room in a gentle arc to open upon an open space where one could almost imagine a professor pacing while delivering a blistering lecture. There was no other way out except the way they had come in and the room proved empty except for an ornate mirror standing in the middle of the floor. Glancing at each other Harry and Blaise moved until they stood in front of the mirror etched with the words '_Erised__ stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.'_

"I show you not your face but your hearts desire," Harry spoke softly, quickly deciphering the encrypted message.

He looked into the mirror yet he did not see anything remotely close to his hearts desire, nor did he see himself reflected there as the happiest man alive would. What he saw was a pulsing blood red stone that meant nothing to him; he felt no desire for the stone, merely a vague curiosity about it.

Abruptly the stone disappeared to be replaced by a scene of him surrounded by his father, Trevor, and the guards as well as other people he did not recognize. Blaise stood at his side, their arms thrown companionably around each other. He was older, they all were, and everyone was smiling. He went to examine the scene further to determine the cause of their happiness when the black fire flaring behind them ripped both his and Blaise's attention from the mirror.

"Quick," Harry dragged Blaise up the stairs and behind one of the stone pillars at the edge of the room, the dread he had felt earlier had come back full force.

It was Quirrell that stepped through the fire, but gone was the stuttering and incompetent professor that had taught them all year; this man was sneering at how easy the obstacles guarding the Sorcerer's Stone were. Harry held back a gasp. Quirrell was now standing in front of the mirror seeking the Sorcerer's Stone, the stone that Harry knew now resided in his pocket. He had felt the weight appear right as the stone had disappeared from the mirror and knew what had happened.

"Come out young Mr. Potter," a chilling voice suddenly called, "I know you are here, I can sense you and your pretty little friend."

Bravely Harry stepped forwards and faced Quirrell, "what do you want?"

Quirrell chuckled, "it's not what I want Mr. Potter, but what the master wants."

As Quirrell was speaking he had began to unwrap the turban around his head and turning revealed why he wore the hideous thing. A pale, distended head jutted from the defense professor's head and was glaring at them with hateful eyes narrowed into slits. The face was nothing short of reptilian.

"Do you know who I am," the parasite head demanded and while Harry had a suspicion he decided not to give the thing the satisfaction of admitting it.

"A disgusting freak of nature from the looks of it," Harry spat wishing he had the security of knowing his father and the Daggers would be there to rescue him soon.

A roar of anger greeted Harry's words, "I am Lord Voldemort you impudent whelp, the most powerful wizard alive!"

This time it was Blaise who did the insulting, "which is why you are sticking out of the back of Quirrell's head like a sick parasite."

Quirrell whirled and backhanded Blaise and the girl stumbled. Angered Harry pulled his gun, glad it wasn't the one with the exploding bullets as he didn't want to see what that would do to human flesh, and pulled the trigger. The first shot missed, shattering the mirror, the second whipped through Quirrell's flesh but before Harry could shoot off another bullet the possessed professor had grabbed his shirt and flung him across the floor.

"I will have the stone," Quirrell/Voldemort hissed, "I will regain my former strength and you shall not stand in my way this time. You should have cooperated ten years ago and died."

"Too late," Harry spat bravely from his half-crouched position, perhaps he should have been a Gryffindor after all, "the mirror's shattered, the magic disrupted. I doubt you can get the stone from it now."

Quirrell was facing him again with a feral grin that reflected his master's emotions, a struggling Blaise trapped in his grasp with his wand firmly pressed to her head.

"I know you have the stone," Voldemort spoke softly, dangerously, "I can feel its power radiating from on you. Give it to me and I'll let her leave unharmed."

Harry was torn but knew he would give up the stone to save his friend, yet he also could see Blaise's eyes telling him not to and he trusted her ability to defend herself. He brushed his fingers lightly against one of his throwing knives, his daggers would be useless and his gun along with his wand had gone flying earlier when he was thrown. In a swift movement Blaise elbowed Quirrell in the gut and ducked as she twisted herself free. Harry had the knife flying even before Blaise was completely free and prayed that his aim would be true for once. It was. Quirrell screamed in agony and lumbered forward towards Harry like a zombie, Voldemort forcing him on. Thankfully Quirrell had lost his wand when Blaise elbowed him or Harry would be in trouble.

"Kill him," Voldemort screamed, "destroy the half-blood. Kill him!"

Pain and darkness threatened as Quirrell began to choke him and Harry sent a wild punch that connected with a glancing blow to Quirrell's face.

The professor let go, his face and hands blistering as he screamed, "it burns master. It burns!"

Power surged up warmly from deep inside Harry and he grabbed onto Quirrell's flesh, burning the man until they both dropped to the ground and Harry was forced to let go from his own pain. Two shots echoed loudly through the room and Harry saw Blaise standing over the new corpse, his gun still trained on the body. For a moment Harry prayed Voldemort had died with Quirrell but the black and roiling mass of malice that streamed free from Quirrell, burning the body even further, and fled shattered his hope. Shakily Harry pulled his knife from Quirrell's corpse and wiped it clean on the man's robes before putting it away followed by his gun and wand that Blaise handed to him. They were still standing over the body of Quirrell when Albus Dumbledore burst through the black fire, closely followed by Severus Snape. Both men started at the youths standing there in exhaustion, leaning against each other for support as the last of their adrenaline left then in a rush. In one of his burnt hands Harry clutched a blood red stone.

**… … … … …**

As if in a dream Harry and Blaise allowed themselves to be led to the hospital wing and fussed over by an overbearing Madam Pomfrey before having potions forced upon them. In moments they were tucked into bed, still fully clothed, and falling into a potion induced dreamless sleep.

* * *


	28. An Ending

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.

_Warning: _Some chapters_ (the ones including pranks) _might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.

_Chapter 27:_ An Ending

Severus Snape swept from the hospital wing after making sure Harry and Blaise would be fine and headed directly to the Owlry. He needed to owl Trevor Zabini and inform the man on what had happened, especially after Dumbledore had been talking about placing Harry with a light oriented wizarding family for his safety. It was the old man's way of keeping the boy under his eye where he could be more easily manipulated and Severus was not going to allow it though he could not openly contest Dumbledore at this time. With satisfaction he watched his dark winged owl fly into the night, he expected Trevor and Harry's father would arrive sometime early the next afternoon.

**… … … … …**

Harry came back to consciousness feeling the warmth of sunlight bathe over him, yet he did not give away the fact that he was awake. Keeping his body relaxed and his breathing even Harry listened to the sounds around him, some sixth sense telling him that he wasn't alone and that he was being watched. He knew he was in the hospital wing, remembered taking a dreamless sleep potion along with Blaise. The tiniest rustle of cloth told Harry that someone was indeed poised next to his bed. Harry began to feign waking up; he wanted to know who was sitting there next to him and what their intentions were. His vivid green eyes revealed themselves to the light and he blinked against the brightness before focusing on a twinkling pair of blue eyes watching him, the Headmaster.

"I trust you slept well Mr. Potter," Dumbledore leaned back slightly to give Harry his space, "lemon drop?"

Harry shook his head negatively, ordering his thoughts as he did so, "How's Blaise?"

"Still sleeping peacefully," the Headmaster motioned to a bed on the other side of Harry.

Relieved to see that Blaise seemed uninjured Harry turned back to Dumbledore, "what happened with Voldemort and the Sorcerer's stone?"

"Ah," Dumbledore's voice took on a serious air, "the stone has been destroyed as even Hogwarts and Gringotts have not proven safe enough guardians. Such a thing of power that can aid evil does not belong in our turbulent times. As for Voldemort, he has been weakened considerably by being forced to leave his host, it is to be hoped that it will be some time before he gains another human body to serve him. Now I must ask you what happened in the chamber with Professor Quirrell."

Slightly hesitant Harry began to speak, his mind fervently working on how to omit the use and presence of his muggle weaponry in the fight, as well as the fact that they had been the first to the stone. If he played things right perhaps Dumbledore would think they merely got suspicious of Quirrell and followed after him, or were perhaps dragged unwillingly along.

"Blaise and I realized what the purpose of the mirror was from reading the inscription in reverse and I saw a blood red stone in the mirror, yet I felt no desire for it and wondered what was wrong with the mirror. The stone disappeared after I had that thought and I felt it settle in my pocket. Voldemort knew it too, said he could sense it. We fought, the mirror ended up shattered, and I was thrown across the room by Quirrell."

A stirring interrupted Harry's tale and he turned to see Blaise smiling at him, the look in her eyes let him know that she had feigned sleep to listen in on the conversation.

"Ms. Zabini," Dumbledore nodded in greeting as if not surprised to see her awake, "Harry here was just telling me what happened with Professor Quirrell and Voldemort; please speak up if you feel you have anything to add as he tells me the rest."

Blaise nodded and Harry continued speaking, "when I looked back up at Quirrell he had Blaise with his wand pointed at her head, thankfully Blaise was able to drive her elbow back into his stomach and twisted away before he had time to send off a spell. I sent an attack at Quirrell and Voldemort started screaming at Quirrell to kill me. The professor grabbed onto me before pulling back screaming that it burned, so I did the only thing I could think of since I had lost my wand by then, I grabbed onto him and held on. The next thing I knew Quirrell wasn't struggling anymore and Voldemort was fleeing his servant's body, causing the skin to bubble and burn even further."

Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully before turning to Blaise, "anything to add Ms. Zabini?"

Blaise shook her head no and Dumbledore continued, "your recollection has explained many things Mr. Potter. When we removed Professor Quirrell from the chamber after seeing you here to the hospital wing we noticed that his body was so scorched as to be nearly unrecognizable and we guessed the burns to have been the cause of death as no other wounds could be discovered due to the severe nature of the burn trauma. I believe that when your mother died to save you Mr. Potter she imparted a protection so pure onto you that it makes it impossible for Voldemort, or anyone he is possessing, to touch you and thus results the burns. It appears that Professor Quirrell's body was so damaged after playing host to the parasite Voldemort that when Voldemort fled the shock of it killed Professor Quirrell. Is there anything more either of you would like to know?"

The group was still talking a while later, Blaise had moved to sit next to Harry on his bed and had her head resting on his shoulder for comfort, when the doors to the hospital wing flew open with a bang that even the cushioning charms could not prevent. Manuel strode in like an avenging angel, his black trench coat flaring out behind him as he walked--much like Snape's robes tended to do. Manuel made no attempts to hide the gun slung low on his hips and anger blazed in his eyes. Trevor was at his side, and while he was no calmer than Manuel, he didn't look as if he was going to kill first and ask questions later. Professor Snape stood in the shadows near the door, it seemed obvious to Harry and Blaise that he was the one to inform their fathers and lead them here as they had been as of yet unable to.

Dumbledore was already on his feet at this threatening intrusion, wand trained at Manuel and Trevor demanding, "who are you and what are you doing here?"

Manuel ignored the wand pointed at him, trusting Trevor to be ready for any attacks, and brushed past the old man in ridiculous robes; he also knew he could have his gun out and fired before the wizard could get off any useful spells, dodging was always an option as well. The only thing that really mattered right this moment was his son whom he had just scooped up in his arms and was hugging tight. The letter Harry's professor had sent had been vague but had mentioned the great danger Harry and Blaise had been through the night before, it had worried him and Trevor into immediately taking a portkey to the edge of Hogwarts; he never wanted to travel by one of those things again.

"Dad!" Harry cried out, "can't breathe!"

Reluctantly Manuel pulled back and began checking Harry over for injuries, asking his son a list of rapid fire questions on how he was feeling yet always aware that there were other people in the room and tailoring his questions to keep suspicions from being aroused. Trevor had scooped Blaise up into a hug as well before dumping her on the next bed over and was giving his daughter the same routine, one which she was protesting just as vehemently as Harry was.

"I'm fine dad," twin protests could be heard coming from Harry and Blaise at almost the same time, "stop worrying, everything's okay now."

Slightly reassured after hearing the bare detail of what had went on, he would get a full account later, Manuel turned to the eccentric man, who from Harry's description could only be the headmaster, and demanded, "just what the bloody hell kind of school is being run here? My son and goddaughter could have been killed!"

Dumbledore held up a placating hand, eyes serious yet somehow still managing to twinkle, "I assure you that no harm was meant to come to any student and we did not know of Professor Quirrell's dark affiliations."

Manuel barely kept a reign on his temper, "every staff member and personnel of a school should be thoroughly screened before being allowed the right to be involved in a task that brings them near children or that allows them to teach children. The safety of the children in this school was jeopardized by a laxity and such actions cannot be condoned. The Board of Directors shall be hearing from me and it is debatable whether Harry will return to this school when his safety cannot be assured."

Manuel turned to Harry, his eyes softening, "come on Harry; let's go somewhere we can talk privately."

Trevor and Blaise stood as well to follow Manuel and Harry, they knew they were to be included in the talk, but Trevor paused before exiting the hospital wing and turned to Dumbledore, "I have no doubt that Harry will convince his father to let him continue to study at Hogwarts if that is what Harry wishes to do, but be warned, if anything more happens to either of the children Manuel won't need to involve the School Governor's for I will gather together my old crowd. That's a promise. We may not be able to rival you in power, but we can make things difficult for you and keep you from influencing our children."

Dumbledore turned to Severus with a concealed sigh once the quartet had left to have their talk, "Thank you for Owling Mr. Potter and Ms. Zabini's fathers Severus, it completely slipped my mind in the excitement of last night and they had a right to know."

Severus smirked as the Headmaster left to go back to his office; it was quite clear after that statement that Dumbledore had not wanted to inform either of his student's fathers, yet the Headmaster also knew that they should have been informed. At least Albus could not fault him for following the guidelines set for him as Head of Slytherin House, and therefore any displeasure the Headmaster might wish to aim at him would be uncalled for. He would have to remember to talk to Trevor a bit later about their Slytherin crowd; with a bodiless Voldemort out there it wouldn't be a bad idea to resurrect a few old friends.

**… … … … …**

The talk had went better than either Harry or Blaise had expected seeing as their fathers hadn't gotten _too_ angry at them for giving into their curiosity after having been warned of the danger and for going into a situation without being better informed on the circumstances. Not that Manuel and Trevor could really fault their children, for they had acted similarly in their youth and knew how hard it was to keep up the composed act of Mafia children. The quartet had spent the time until after dinner together before Manuel and Trevor had left to go home; surprisingly Harry and Blaise weren't being taken with them and would be continuing their education at Hogwarts. What the two Slytherins didn't know was that their fathers hadn't left right away, but had taken some time to talk to Severus Snape and plot.

**… … … … …**

Harry and Blaise made their way down to the end-of-year feast ignoring the looks and whispers they were attracting. The story of what had happened with Quirrell and the obstacles guarding the Sorcerer's Stone had spread like wildfire throughout the school, though none seemed to know of Voldemort's role in the whole fiasco and most of the tales circling the school were twisted rumors that skewered everything that had really happened completely out of proportion. The only ones that knew the whole truth of what had happened the other week were Harry, Blaise, Manuel, and Trevor. Dumbledore knew a version that he believed to be the truth, or so they hoped, and while Snape knew more of the real events than Dumbledore it still was not the complete account.

But the end-of-year feast was not the place to mull over such things. It was time to celebrate and gloat for not only had Slytherin won the Quidditch cup, they would have to make sure Manuel saw a game sometime, but the House cup as well. The hall was stunningly decorated in green and silver, with hints of black to offset the colors of the Serpent house, and a large Slytherin banner hung behind the High Table where the teachers sat; McGonagall was scowling fiercely at Snape's smug smirk. It appeared that Gryffindor losing twice over to Slytherin was a sore spot with the Transfiguration professor. Dumbledore arrived and stepped between McGonagall and Snape, blocking their sight from each other.

"Another year gone," Dumbledore said cheerfully, "though I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink out teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were…you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts…"

"Sure," Harry whispered sarcastically to Blaise, "like Trevor will let us forget what we've learned."

"Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place Hufflepuff with three hundred and twenty-six points; in third Ravenclaw with three hundred and thirty-two points; Gryffindor has four hundred and fifty-seven points; and Slytherin five hundred and fifty-seven."

They Slytherins lost any decorum they might possess and began stamping and cheering which made the Gryffindor's look even sourer. After the last Quidditch match both teams had been tied for house points, it was the points that Harry and Blaise had been awarded for their adventure that had pulled Slytherin house tantalizingly out of Gryffindor's reach much to McGonagall's disgust.

"Congratulations Slytherin," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and he waved his hand slightly, "enjoy the feast."

Of course even good things must end and before the inhabitants of Hogwarts knew it they clutched in their hands their exam results and their trunks were packed and waiting to be loaded onto the train. Harry and Blaise had passed all their classes with excellent scores though they were surprised to have done so well in History of Magic seeing that they either never stayed awake in the class or skipped it. There were also the dreaded announcements handed out about not using magic over the holidays, Fred and George could be heard complaining loudly about it, not that it really mattered to Harry and Blaise since Trevor had already ensured that they could break that particular rule without any consequences befalling them. A second boat trip across the lake for the first years brought them once again to the Hogwarts Express where they boarded and began the long journey back to King's Cross Station, everyone enjoying sweets and exchanging summer plans. Nearing night fall Muggle towns began to appear and robes were exchanged for jackets and coats, causing Harry and Blaise to exchange looks at what some wizards believed to be Muggle attire.

Platform 9 ¾ was teeming with witches and wizards that had either arrived by magical means or helped with the luggage and oversaw the students leaving the platform in small groups so as not to attract undue attention, most muggle parents would be waiting in the main station for their children. Finally Harry and Blaise were hustled through the barrier and were hailed by their fathers not long after they stepped through, nearly being bowled over by the twins who came racing through after them.

"Harry, Blaise," Trevor called, "come on. We still have a ways to go before getting home and plan on stopping for dinner before leaving London."

Blaise and Harry turned long enough to smirk at the twins who grinned back.

"Owl us," all four chimed at the same time before separating and heading towards their respective families.

Harry smiled and gave his dad a brief hug before they all headed toward the car. It had been an interesting first year at Hogwarts, and while Harry wasn't going to count down the days until they went back he knew he would be ready to go when the time came. Until then he was going to enjoy his summer with his father, and enjoy the time away from being the boy-who-lived. Instead he would just be Harry Darkov, Mafia Prince.

* * *


End file.
